Disney executive Kevin Mayer has been named the new CEO of TikTok and COO at its parent company ByteDance. He's replaced at Disney by Rebecca Campbell as head of the company's direct-to-consumer business and international operations.
Mayer led Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International segment since its founding in 2018 and oversaw the launches of ESPN+ and Disney+ and the integration of Hulu. During his career at Disney, he also served as the company’s chief strategy officer, helping close major acquisitions such as the takeover of 21st Century Fox.
In his new job, Mayer will report directly to ByteDance founder and CEO Yiming Zhang and will be charged with driving the global development of ByteDance, as well as overseeing corporate functions including corporate development, sales, marketing, public affairs, security, moderation and legal. In his role as COO, he will lead music, gaming, Helo and emerging businesses and serve as CEO of TikTok.
Alex Zhu, the current President of TikTok, will transition to ByteDance VP of Product & Strategy, where he will focus on overseeing strategy and product design.
Kelly Zhang and Lidong Zhang will continue to lead the China business as CEO and Chairman of ByteDance China, respectively, reporting to Yiming Zhang, as ByteDance's global CEO. They manage a range of products, including Douyin, Toutiao, and Xigua, in addition to their duties leading the business and operational teams in China.
Campbell is a 23-year Disney veteran who has held leadership roles across the company’s media, international and parks businesses and most recently served as President of Disneyland Resort. As chair of Direct-to-Consumer and International, she will oversee the company’s streaming businesses globally, including the planned international expansion of Disney+.
Prior to becoming President of Disneyland Resort last year, Campbell was a member of the Direct-to-Consumer and International leadership team as President, The Walt Disney Company EMEA, where she oversaw the Disney+ launch strategy and direct-to-consumer roadmap for the region. Disney+ will debut in Japan in June, followed by the Nordics, Belgium, Luxembourg and Portugal in September, and Latin America later in the year.
