Disney Co-Chair Dana Walden to be Awarded the 2025 International Emmy Founders Award

By: WE staff | Tuesday, 12 August 2025

• Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden will receive the 2025 International Emmy Founders Award.
• The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences made the announcement on Monday.
• The award ceremony will take place during the 53rd International Emmy Awards on November 24, 2025, in New York.

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences chose Dana Walden for her "trailblazing impact on the media and entertainment sector" and worldwide reach of the shows she has championed. Academy President and CEO Bruce L. Paisner commended her on creating some of television's most acclaimed, award-winning programs, noting her significant influence as a former CEO of Fox Television Group and present Co-Chair of Disney Entertainment.

One of the best-known potential candidates to replace Bob Iger as Disney CEO, Dana received multiple awards in the past several years, including the 2025 Producers Guild Awards' Milestone Award, induction into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, and an MIPCOM Personality of the Year designation. She has also been named to CNBC's 2024 Changemakers list, awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business, and received a number of other industry awards.

Describing the honor as "an extraordinary privilege," Dana attributed the award to the "passion and dedication" of the skilled creators and executives with whom she has worked. She now leads Disney's global entertainment media, news, and content businesses, co-leading Disney+ and Hulu, with Disney+ now being offered in over 150 markets and 40 languages.

In her time at the helm of The Walt Disney Company, the company was awarded 60 Primetime Emmy Awards last year— the most any company has received in a single year. By the time Dana arrived at Disney, through the acquisition of 20th Century Fox, she had already developed and greenlighted some of the biggest hits on the network, including 24, Abbott Elementary

The Americans, American Horror Story, American Idol, The Bear, Dancing with the Stars, Family Guy, Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Homeland, The Kardashians, Modern Family, Only Murders in the Building, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Shōgun, The Simpsons and This Is Us.

She becomes part of the exclusive group of past Founders Award winners, who include Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, J.J. Abrams, Jesse Armstrong, Shonda Rhimes, Ryan Murphy, and David E. Kelley. Variety and other international press partners present the event.