Disney Hires Benjamin Swinburne as EVP Corporate Strategy and IR

After 27 years at Morgan Stanley, Benjamin Swinburne has landed a new gig with the Walt Disney Co.

Disney hired Swinburne as executive VP of investor relations and corporate strategy. He will report directly to Disney CFO Hugh Johnston and will join the company “in the near future,” the media company announced Friday. Most recently, Swinburne was managing director, head of U.S. media and telecom & cable services research at Morgan Stanley.

Disney’s investor relations previously have been headed by Carlos A. Gómez, who is the company’s treasurer. Justin Warbrooke, Disney’s EVP of corporate development, had led corporate strategy on an interim basis. Both Gómez and Warbrooke also report to Johnston.

In the newly created role role, Swinburne will lead Disney’s investor relations, communicating the company’s financial performance and long-term strategic vision to institutional investors and retail shareholders, sell-side analysts and other key stakeholders. He also will oversee Disney’s long-term strategic planning and market analysis, tasked with “identifying growth opportunities based on industry trends and evolving entertainment consumption,” the company said.

“Having spent much of my career analyzing Disney’s performance and long-term opportunities, I have a deep appreciation for the company’s creative strengths, operational discipline, and consistent focus on delivering value for shareholders,” Swinburne said in a statement provided by Disney. “It is an incredibly exciting time to be joining the company, and I look forward to working with the team to continue the incredible progress they have made to position Disney for future growth.”

Johnston commented, “Ben has been one of the industry’s most respected media analysts and brings deep insight into the evolving global entertainment landscape. His analytical rigor, strategic perspective, and long-standing knowledge of our business and broader industry make him an exceptional addition to our team as we continue to execute against our long-term vision and deliver sustained value for our shareholders.”

Swinburne joined Morgan Stanley as a research analyst in 1999. In his most recent role at the bank, he led equity research coverage of the media and entertainment, advertising, and telecom and cable services sectors. Swinburne has been consistently ranked among the top analysts in multiple sectors in a variety of investor polls, including a 2021 induction into the Institutional Investor All-America Research Team Hall of Fame.

Swinburne earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy with a concentration in finance from Washington and Lee University and a master’s degree in accounting from Babson College.