Bob Iger’s tallest order at Disney: preparing his own replacement
Bob Iger has ordered that his successor at Disney be a man he’d want to work for, and he’s putting his personal stamp on it.
The Walt Disney Co. exec picked his own potential successor for chief executive last week and told investors that he’ll be working closely with Iger in the coming months to decide who will take charge at the world’s biggest entertainment company.
“We have discussed the succession and when I will be able to tell you who the successor is,” Iger said in a post-earnings call at Disney’s animation studios here in Burbank, along with his Chief Financial Officer, Ron Ives, for the company’s earnings release Wednesday. “I think it’s important to be very careful with information in terms of the succession. I think it’s going to be a big deal for everyone.”
The Disney boss, 52, has not officially announced who he’s chosen, but multiple reports over the past week have suggested that Iger may have settled on his son Bob Iger Junior, who currently works in the company’s corporate finance division.
But Disney has not yet formally announced the new CEO as it often does with new hires, and the company has not provided any details on the selection process. The company has also not said who else is under consideration.
Iger is not expected to be a public figure, and that is one of the reasons why he should be able to afford to wait until his time as CEO is over before his successor is named. That person should get to know Disney’s family and associates, and has a chance to get to know Iger before taking over the company.
Iger has taken the same approach with other people whom he has made choices for chief executive, including firing Walt Disney Imagineering’s Bob Chapek in 2014 and replacing him with his son, Roy.
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