Bob Iger

Robert Allen Iger (born February 10, 1951 in Oceanside, New York) is an American business executive who is the Executive Chairman of The Walt Disney Company. Iger served as a member of the Apple Board of Directors from 2011 to 2019, leaving voluntarily when the Apple TV+ and Disney+ streaming services were being launched in direct competition of one another.

Career
Before working for Disney, Iger served as the President of ABC Television from 1994 to 1995, and as President and COO of Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. from 1995 until Disney's acquisition of the company in 1996.

He was named President and COO of Disney in 2000, and later succeeded Michael Eisner as CEO in 2005, after a successful effort by Roy E. Disney to shake up the management of the company. As part of his yearly compensation, Iger earned $44.9 million in 2015. During Iger's tenure, Disney broadened the company's roster of intellectual properties and its presence in international markets; Iger oversaw the acquisitions of Pixar in 2006 for $7.4 billion, Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for $4 billion, Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4.06 billion, and 21st Century Fox in 2019 for $71.3 billion, as well as the expansion of the company's theme park resorts in East Asia, with the introduction of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Shanghai Disney Resort in 2005 and 2016, respectively.

Iger was a driving force behind the reinvigoration of Walt Disney Animation Studios and the branded-release strategy of its film studio's output. Under Iger, Disney experienced increases in revenue across its various divisions, with the company's market capitalization value increasing from $48.4 billion to $257 billion over a period of thirteen years.

On February 25, 2020, Iger announced he would step down as CEO of The Walt Disney Company effective immediately, naming Bob Chapek, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, as his successor, making him the 7th CEO in the company's history. Iger will continue to serve as Executive Chairman and Chairman of Disney's Board of Directors until December 2021. In mid-April, Iger resumed running Disney temporarily to help the company through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Articles

 * Disney CEO Bob Iger says left Apple board because 'paths were conflicting' by Mikey Campbell, AppleInsider. 2019-09-24.

Books

 * The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger, Penguin Random House at Apple Books. 2019-09-23.

Interviews

 * Bob Iger, Super Soul Sunday S9, E16, Apple TV. 2019-09-29.