Bob Iger, CEO of the US entertainment company Disney, is stepping down with immediate effect. This was announced by the company after the US exchange closed. However, Iger will continue to be the CEO of the Board of Directors.
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The successor was the Disney manager Bob Chapek, who was last responsible for the group’s amusement parks. He has been with Disney for 27 years. “Bob will be the seventh chief executive in Disney’s nearly 100-year history, and has proven exceptionally qualified to lead the company into the next century,” said Iger of his successor.
After the start of the Disney + streaming service, he believed that the time had come to hand over to a new CEO, said Iger. He had taken over the top job at Disney from Michael Eisner in 2005 and had continuously expanded the group through numerous takeovers.
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With the acquisition of Pixar, Iger had renewed Disney’s portfolio. The studio, which specializes in animated films, stands for popular successes such as “Finding Nemo” or the “Toy Story” series and had brought Disney the change from the traditional image with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.
Disney’s earnings had slumped recently given the high cost of expanding its streaming business. The company’s shares nevertheless rose significantly after the figures for the fourth quarter of 2019 were announced. The Disney + streaming service launched in November had already won 28.6 million subscribers by the end of the year – significantly more than expected.
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