How Disney’s Ad Chief Leads 3,000 People Through Constant Change

What does it take to lead 3,000 people through constant change at one of the most powerful media companies in the world?In this episode of Lead Human, Jack Myers and Tim Spengler sit down with Rita Ferro, President of Global Advertising at Disney, for a conversation about leadership, trust, technology, and how to keep teams aligned when the ground is always shifting.Rita shares what she learned directly from Bob Iger, including why technology should be treated as an enabler—not the core—and why the best leaders stay focused on their own game instead of chasing competitors. She talks about balancing data, automation, and programmatic buying with storytelling, human relationships, and long-term brand building, and explains why outcomes matter—but art and science still have to work together.They also get into how to succeed under new bosses, how to lead through discomfort, why overcommunication matters, and how her experience in international markets taught her to stay calm even when everything feels “squishy.” It’s a sharp, grounded conversation about how to win in modern business without losing the human side of leadership.Lead Human is hosted by Jack Myers & Tim Spengler, produced by Wondir Studios (Desta Wondirad), in association with Acast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.