LOS ANGELES — Former Disney CCO Zenia Mucha, who was well known for her contentious style defending the storied brand, is joining TikTok as its comms head as the app faces the threat of a US ban.

Mucha’s appointment as chief brand and communications officer is part of a larger leadership shakeup at TikTok, which included the resignation earlier this week of COO Vanessa Pappas and elevation of chief of staff Adam Presser to head of operations.

Mucha, well known for wielding power beyond communications at Disney, is no stranger to TikTok — or the scrutiny the app is under. In March, the Wall Street Journal reported that she was part of a team of advisors who coached TikTok’s CEO for a congressional hearing.


TikTok has been besieged by safety concerns, primarily around whether it shares sensitive data with the Chinese government, that are fueling efforts to ban the platform in the US and elsewhere. The app is banned from federal devices in the US. The same is true in the UK, Canada, France and Australia among others.

In May, PRovoke Media reported that TikTok is looking for a new PR agency to “tell its safety story.”

Mucha, a PRovoke Media Influence 100, stepped down as Disney’s CCO and corporate communications leader at the end of 2021 after nearly 20 years with the company. She was one of several senior leaders who left Disney in conjunction with the departure of executive chairman Bob Iger, who has since returned as CEO.