The Walt Disney Company has appointed Karandeep Anand as its first Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The Indian-origin tech executive will step into the newly created role on October 2.
In an official statement Disney announced, “The Walt Disney Company today announced that Karandeep Anand will join the company as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, a newly created position, effective October 2. Anand, who most recently has served as CEO of Character.AI.”
Whom will he report to?
Anand will report directly to Disney Chief Executive Officer Josh D’Amaro. Talking about the appointment, the CEO said, “Karandeep brings a rare mix of experience across infrastructure, consumer technology and AI, and will be a vital addition to Disney’s senior leadership team as we further our three priorities: great storytelling as our North Star, technology in service of creativity, and operating as One Disney.”
The exec added, “He is an expert builder and strategist, technical and product-minded, with sharp instincts for what fans actually want. He also has real enthusiasm and respect for Disney, a clear sense of where technology and creativity meet, and shares our belief that technology creates the most value when it helps people do their best work.”
What did he study?
{{/usCountry}}The exec added, “He is an expert builder and strategist, technical and product-minded, with sharp instincts for what fans actually want. He also has real enthusiasm and respect for Disney, a clear sense of where technology and creativity meet, and shares our belief that technology creates the most value when it helps people do their best work.”
What did he study?
{{/usCountry}}According to Anand’s LinkedIn profile, he completed his bachelor’s degree in computer science from International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad. He then received training on marketing from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management.
Where did he work before joining Disney?
He started his career as an intern at Microsoft. He worked with the tech giant for over 15 years and quit the company as a director of product management. Following which, he worked at Meta (Facebook) for more than six years.
Anand then joined Brex and finally assumed the role of CEO at Character.AI for nearly two years. He is now set to join Disney.
Karandeep Anand on his new role:
The tech executive took to LinkedIn to express his reactions to his new job. “Today, I’m excited to share that I’m joining The Walt Disney Company in a new role as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, and I expect members of Character’s technical team to join me as well.”
He continued, “I’ve admired Disney for my entire life. From movies to the parks to experiences, Disney continually blends unforgettable storytelling with the latest technology to constantly push the boundaries of what entertainment can be.”
He added, “I’m honored to join a team with such extraordinary creative talent, and I look forward to building on the company’s impressive technology capabilities to help Disney connect fans worldwide with its beloved stories and characters in new and innovative ways.”
Recalling his role as CEO just before Disney, he shared, “I’m immensely proud of what we have built at Character.ai and our entire team. We’ve done incredible work building a leading platform for entertainment and fandom.” In his post, he also thanked CEO Josh D'Amaro and the team for warmly welcoming him.