Susan Arnold to replace Bob Iger as Chairman Of The Board Of The Walt Disney Company

Dec 01, 2021 in "The Walt Disney Company"

Gallery / 1 Photo
Susan Arnold, Chairman of the Board, The Walt Disney Company

Posted: Wednesday December 1, 2021 5:09pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors announced that it has elected Susan E. Arnold as Chairman of the Board, effective December 31, 2021.

Susan Arnold, Chairman of the Board, The Walt Disney Company

64 year-old Ms. Arnold, a 14-year member of the Disney Board who has served as its independent Lead Director since 2018, will succeed Robert A. Iger as Chairman of the Board when he departs the Company at the end of the year.

“Susan is an incredibly esteemed executive whose wealth of experience, unwavering integrity, and expert judgment have been invaluable to the Company since she first joined the Board in 2007,” said Mr. Iger, Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board. “Having most recently served as independent Lead Director, Susan is the perfect choice for Chairman of the Board, and I am confident the Company is well-positioned for continued success under her guidance and leadership. It has been a distinct honor to work with Susan and our many other talented directors, and I am incredibly grateful for the support and wise counsel they have provided during my tenure.”

“On behalf of the Board, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Bob Iger for his extraordinary leadership over the past decade-and-a-half,” Ms. Arnold said. “Bob has led Disney to amazing heights both creatively and financially, with his clear strategic vision for delivering high-quality branded storytelling, embracing cutting-edge technology, and expanding internationally, and he’s left an indelible mark on The Walt Disney Company that will be felt for generations to come. As I step into this new role as Chairman of the Board, I look forward to continuing to serve the long-term interests of Disney’s shareholders and working closely with CEO Bob Chapek as he builds upon the Company’s century-long legacy of creative excellence and innovation.”

Susan Arnold was formerly an operating executive of the equity investment firm The Carlyle Group, where she served from 2013 to 2021. Previously, she served as President—Global Business Units of Procter & Gamble from 2007 to 2009. Prior to that at Procter & Gamble, Ms. Arnold was Vice Chair—Beauty & Health from 2006, Vice Chair—Beauty from 2004, and President—Global Personal Beauty Care & Global Feminine Care from 2002. She was a Director of McDonald’s Corp. from 2008 to 2016, and a Director of NBTY, Inc. from 2013 to 2017.

Bob Iger (left) will leave the company at the end of 2021

Bob Iger has served as Chairman of the Board since 2012, and as Disney’s Executive Chairman since 2020, directing the Company’s creative endeavors with Bob Chapek assuming the role of CEO. From 2005-2020 he led Disney as Chief Executive Officer where he made the significant acquisitions of Pixar (2006), Marvel (2009), Lucasfilm (2012) and 21st Century Fox (2019), as well as the 2016 opening of Disney’s first theme park and resort in Mainland China, Shanghai Disney Resort, and the release of a number of record-setting films including Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame, Disney’s Frozen and Frozen 2. Moving the company into direct-to-consumer streaming, he oversaw the launch of the Disney+ streaming service in 2019 and ESPN+ in 2018.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

Disstevefan1Dec 04, 2023

FIFY ;)

ewensell3Dec 04, 2023

Fair. Should learn to use search. :)

JoeCamelDec 04, 2023

Several pages back in multiple threads, half a billion or so each time it is paid

ewensell3Dec 04, 2023

Not seen it mentioned anywhere. Fan Shareholder service. $0.30/share dividend to be paid 1/10/2024

TouchdownDec 04, 2023

I would hope most people are, not directly, as Disney is part of the S&P 500 (and the Russel 2000) which should be a portion of everyone’s 401k in the form of a low cost index fund. Year to date the S&P is up 20% nominal, or about 16% real (factoring in inflation) stocks are so important as they are one of the few assets that has been shown overtime to beat inflation over the long term and thus one of the few pathways to true wealth. While they are risky (2022 saw a 19.6% loss) it has averaged 10% in the last 80 years. I know this doesn’t help anyone who is living paycheck to paycheck currently but I hope that anyone (especially someone more then 15 years from retirement) who is not isn’t just doing the easy thing and putting their savings in a savings account/money market fund or even short term treasuries as those assets rarely even keep up with inflation (the most recent gains are very much an exception not the norm.) Im not saying don’t invest in those vehicles they have their purpose as a hedge to a bad stock market year but they should not be used as your main vehicle for retirement assets while you are in your working years.

_calebDec 03, 2023

Tentpoles are a thing of the past. It's a yurt-lattice strategy from here on out.

MisterPenguinDec 03, 2023

Well... yeah. Why is that an issue? They're buying an asset that has worth. They're paying a sum that is equitable to it's worth. That's not going backward financially. What they're buying produces profit, and their share of the profit will go from 66% to 100%. And they'll integrate Hulu with D+ (and ESPN+ and all their linear channels becoming streaming content). That will make 'the bundle' that much more attractive to consumers. Disney *wants* to buy it. Comcast didn't force them, they both agreed to make it happen. And TWDC will still be profiting billions each year.

StripesDec 03, 2023

I see your point. I also think a lot of people may be waiting to see Wish on Disney+, which of course could very well affect Inside Out 2 as well. But, the Wish trailers also received a pretty lukewarm reception. The comments on the trailers, at least before the film was released were very skeptical. Inside Out 2 is getting a lot of positive feedback in the comments. The new movie is a soft reboot. They haven’t made an Apes movie in a long time. I watched all three and enjoyed them very much. People really seem to like the Deadpool character. I think it will do really well, assuming the film is well-executed. Marvel is still very popular. But their films have been hit or miss recently. Their TV shows on the other hand are doing very well on Disney+ and have been quite strong in my opinion.

Model3 McQueenDec 03, 2023

I don't think it's harsh I mean i'd like to know why Marvel and Disney movies are costing over 200 million dollars to make, and are still subpar; why major theme park decisions are consistently anti-consumer (and incoherent) and how Bob could possibly be so blind to it all. He, his hand picked board, and their management is not good. They haven't had a clear-cut financially successful film in years (sorry, omitting GotG3). Chapek was never CEO, he was consistently kept in the dark and Iger continued to be the puppet master. What am I missing?

TalkingHeadDec 03, 2023

Wish was the most watched animated trailer before that. Social media trailer views aren’t a reliable predictor. Be honest, Planet of Apes is a tired franchise that hasn’t produced a big hit in ten years. Deadpool might hit, sure, probably because it’s unlike the other Marvel content being produced.