For more than a decade, Kareem Daniel faithfully followed the Walt Disney Co. script for success.
The 48-year-old executive had a Stanford MBA. He started as an intern and held key leadership roles with divisions including the Imagineers, the vaunted designers of theme park rides. He was a movie buff and an unabashed fan of Disney properties — his favorite toy as a boy was the Millennium Falcon, the hulking spaceship from "Star Wars."
His ascent accelerated in 2020 when his mentor, Bob Chapek, became Disney's chief executive. Daniel was tapped to run consumer products, and five months later, he hurdled over more experienced executives to lead a massive new and controversial business unit.
