Will Disney Need Two CEOs To Replace Bob Iger?

[Disney4me]

When Disney brought Bob Iger back as CEO, the company did so with a few goals in mind — one of which was being involved in choosing his successor. It’s a job Iger had once before, which didn’t end on a positive note, and speculation has been running wild about who might have what it takes to replace him.

©Disney | Walt Disney Company Headquarters

Iger is widely regarded as being a successful leader the first time around, with fans welcoming him back with open arms the second time. It’ll take some pretty big feet to fill those shoes — or maybe two pairs of feet instead.

Quite a few names have been thrown into the mix when it comes to who might replace Bob Iger after his two-year contract is up — but so far, Disney has not confirmed any name or potential “shortlist” of successors. Two possibilities that keep coming up are the current co-leaders of Disney Entertainment, Alan Bergman and Dana Walden.

Bergman previously served as chairman of Disney Studios, and Walden was previously chairwoman of Disney General Entertainment Content.

Bob Iger ©New York Post

This dynamic duo will be leading the charge to put Disney’s streaming business back on track — something Iger has named his number-one priority this time around. Under the company’s new structure, Bergman and Walden both have a bigger impact.

Cinderella Castle

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Walden is “among the internal favorites” to take over for Iger, and her new business-forward role gives her more clout when it comes to any potential musings of lack of experience. She also doesn’t have much film experience having come through the television side of things (like Iger), though that could also change given her new role.

©Disney

Bergman, on the other hand, has reportedly kept his head down during his 30 years at Disney. A source who has dealt with him remarked, “He’s been a silent killer his entire career.” But, as chair of Disney Studios Content, he’s in charge of the movie divisions that move Disney’s content engine forward.

©Disney

Together, the two are an even stronger force. The partnership seems to make sense, and per industry sources could extend past co-chairs of Disney Entertainment to a potential co-partnership at the top of the heap. Though The Walt Disney Company has never implemented a co-CEO structure, stranger things have happened.

Regardless of who replaces Bob Iger, they’ll have an uphill battle ahead of them. Iger is almost universally loved — at least among Disney fans — and is seen as an overall success, neither of which is easy to get on a resumé.

©Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images

Iger has plenty of help choosing his successor this time around. Disney board chair Mark Parker has been tasked with helping Iger and heading up a Succession Planning Committee of the Board. 

The “top priority” of the Succession Planning Committee is to “identify and prepare a successful CEO successor, and that process has already begun,” though Disney hasn’t shared who may or may not be on any sort of potential list.

©Disney

In a recent Q&A session at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference, Iger said that the succession committee meets regularly and doesn’t take this decision lightly, but that it respects the fact that the decision needs to be made soon.

“I’m confident that we’ll identify the right successor at the right time,” Iger said. “We have stability, we have reorganization, we have truly aggressive cost-cutting efforts. Now it’s about getting our content pipeline right, making sure that we’re making the right decisions, and making sure that we’re making the right number of decisions in terms of how much we’re making,” he explained.

Walt Disney Company Headquarters ©LA Times

Other names have been mentioned as potential replacements for Iger, including Kevin Mayer, former Disney executive and current CEO of Candle Media. Mayer was previously Disney’s chairman of the direct-to-consumer segment of the company,  responsible for launching Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu+. He was also the CEO of TikTok for a short time.

Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney

Josh D’Amaro (chairman of parks and resorts), Jimmy Pitaro (president of ESPN), and Adam Silver (NBA Commissioner) have all been named, as well.

Josh D’Amaro, Head of Disney Parks and Resorts

For now, it seems Iger is taking this job seriously and has full confidence in the Succession Planning Committee. We’ll be keeping an eye on this story and will let you know of any updates. Make sure to follow along for the latest Disney news. Check out Bob Iger’s recent comments on a potential recession at the link below!

Bob Iger Says Disney Is Not Recession-Proof, So What Could Change?

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Who do you think should replace Iger as the next CEO of Disney? Tell us in the comments.

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