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Bob Iger talked about his time leading The Walt Disney Company and what he hopes to see from his successor. Disney CEO Bob Iger on Succession and Responsibility Iger joined The Rest is History podcast hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook for the episode “Disneyland: The Modern American Utopia.” They asked him about succession plans and how he wanted to be remembered for his time at The Walt Disney Company. “I think because of the company’s place in the world, I think the person running the company has a special responsibility of sorts to maintain Disney’s position in the world as a beloved company, as an admired company, as a company that entertains really the world,” Iger said. “Everyone of all ages and from all different walks of life. And I think more than anything else, I would want to be known as someone who was given the keys to this kingdom, so to speak, and quite a kingdom it is, and that I brought it to a place that even Walt would be proud of and what that means is more great storytelling to a larger audience, more innovation, more risk-taking, more really creation of of happiness.” Iger added, “It’s really that simple. At one point, I thought, well, okay, you’re now running Disney. What’s the most you want out of it? Well, don’t screw it up, but it’s much more than that. I really have been mindful of the duty that I feel has been handed to me to make it even better than it’s ever been.” Iger spent his entire career with ABC and Disney, joining the former in 1974. He replaced Michael Eisner as Disney CEO in 2005. In 2020, he announced his retirement and named Bob Chapek as his successor. He stayed on as Chairman of the Board through 2021, and handled some CEO duties amid the COVID-19 pandemic. His retirement didn’t last long, however. The Board of Directors fired Chapek and re-hired Iger in November 2022. Though his new contract was initially for two years, it was later extended through 2026. “The world is changing so rapidly and in such profound ways,” Iger said on the podcast. “As I think about the future, I would hope that my successors would be respectful of our past and well aware of the values that really created the value of the company in the first place, and carry them forward, but not let anything that’s been done in the past get in the way of bringing the company into the future. And that’s really constant innovation, a constant exploration, you know, constant essentially desire to reinvent or to invent even. More than anything else, that’s what I’d want. But I think we do occupy a place in the world as great storytellers, perhaps maybe the greatest, and I would hope that that position would continue for years and years, decades ahead.” Iger’s successor has not been named but Disney hopes to make an announcement in early 2026. Disney brought in Morgan Stanley Chairman James P. Gorman to lead the search, later electing him Chairman of the Board. Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden are the frontrunners, with D’Amaro most recently thought to be leading the race. The other Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman, Alan Bergman, and Chairman of ESPN and Sports Content, Jimmy Pitaro, have also been discussed, as have external candidates. Iger said that while many at Disney ask “what would Walt think,” he’s “not really interested in turning to him for advice, per se, but I would be more interested in showing him what’s become of the great company that he founded. And I wouldn’t mind a bit of a report card, perhaps. It’s cocky of me to think that he would give me all A’s.” Source: Deadline, Variety For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
