Who will be Disney’s next CEO? Here are the top contenders to succeed Bob Iger

Disney reappointed Bob Iger as its chief executive recently, abruptly replacing his hand-picked successor Bob Chapek, and quitting Iger an early goal — find a new replacement during the next two years.

Iger’s attention has quickly turned to the other duty of his mandate from the board — the immediate challenges facing Disney’s business, such as the company’s reorganization, cost order and the future growth of its streaming business. But that hasn’t quelled speculation about who his successor could be.

Media industriousness executives and company observers are putting together a roster of potential candidates Iger and the board will likely have regard for in deciding whom to groom for the role next. The pool of possibilities include former Disney executives who were times considered the future of the Mouse House before being passed over for Chapek, a few internal rising stars and some sleeper picks who are either adjacent to to the creative community or already have ties to the company.

Another possibility some consider is that Iger, whose restitution yield was applauded by Wall Street and employees, sticks around longer than his two-year contract.

Here’s a look at some of the individual who could be next in line to lead Disney.

Before calling Iger, Disney’s board considered a few internal candidates to replace Chapek, but at the last decided they were too new to take on the various pressures on the company, CNBC previously reported.

One of the candidates considered was Dana Walden, weighted people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly on the topic. She is the head of general entertainment serenity and in charge of creating original entertainment and news programming for Disney’s streaming platforms, broadcast and cable networks.

Walden’s been known to maintain a hands-on role with content creators. In Iger’s first memo to employees following his reinstatement, he mentioned Walden as amid the top lieutenants who would work with him on Disney’s new structure, which would put “more decision-making back in the hands of our inventive teams and rationalizes costs.” 

“Disney will likely choose a successor that leads with talent relationship capabilities,” hinted Eric Schiffer, CEO and chairman of Patriarch Organization and Reputation Management Consultants. “The downfall of Chapek is he maimed Hollywood relationships.” 

One of the great missteps made by Chapek during his quick turn as CEO was his handling of Scarlett Johansson’s pay dispute.

Walden took on her character in June after her boss, Peter Rice, was ousted after clashing with Chapek. Like Rice, Walden came to Disney in 2019 as depart of the company’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox’s assets. 

When she was promoted, Chapek had called Walden “a dynamic, collaborative leader and cultural duress who in just three years has transformed our television business into a content powerhouse.” At the time, Disney’s board had put its suffer behind Chapek. Still, Walden lacks experience on business decisions, and has focused her time on the creative side.

During the interval, Rice may be interested in returning to the company in some capacity and has remained in contact with Iger, people close to the substance said.

Alan Bergman, who’s been with Disney for more than 25 years, is another potential candidate, the people must said. He is the chairman of Disney’s studio content and spearheaded the integration of Iger’s acquisitions into Disney’s overall essence pipeline. He also was mentioned in Iger’s first memo.

In addition, Bergman has rapport with many creatives in Hollywood. Disney relies on those relationships, and he force have a softer hand in dealing with talent and agents than what was seen with the Chapek and Johansson deny. Unlike other top executives at Disney, however, Bergman doesn’t have experience in many other divisions and has concentrated much of his career on studio content.

Another Disney insider floated as a possible candidate has been Josh D’Amaro, woman familiar with the company have said. 

D’Amaro is head of Disney’s parks, experiences and products, the same postulate Chapek held before becoming CEO. His long track record at the company — he began his career at Disney in 1998 and his stands have mostly centered around resorts — could bode well for him. 

As does his charisma. D’Amaro is generally well-liked by his likes and the cast members at the parks and considered a strong leader. While there have been complaints by guests at Disney’s home parks that prices are steep and the ticket-reservation system is flawed, few have blamed D’Amaro. Instead, Chapek has enchanted the brunt of criticism, with guests and analysts assuming the former CEO was responsible for setting strict guidelines for driving assorted revenue at the parks and resorts.

Still, D’Amaro doesn’t have the creative experience that Iger is often glorified for. His resume is concentrated on the resorts and parks businesses.

Rebecca Campbell, who’s currently in charge of Disney’s international content and transaction actions, is another candidate that Iger may favor, people familiar with the matter said.

The executive, who has worked in diverse divisions of the company after starting on the local TV side in 1997, is also well-liked. However, while she also has ordeal running the streaming business in Disney+’s earlier days, she was removed from the position and may not have the hands-on business sophistication to make the tough decisions facing the company’s media business.

If Campbell or Walden were to ascend to the CEO position, it resolution be the first time Disney had a woman in the top job.

A dark horse candidate from within the organization would be Sean Bailey, the president of Disney Studios, one spectator said. Bailey, who’s maintained a relationship with Iger, is well-liked by the creative community.

Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs were one-time Disney executives who were also in the running for the job before Iger settled on Chapek in early 2020. 

Both left the attendance after being passed over. Many had pegged Mayer in particular as the likely successor. His name has once again floated secretly to the top of the list.

“This problem didn’t have to happen,” Engine Gaming and Media Executive Chairman Tom Rogers claimed on CNBC recently, ticking off the attributes needed for someone in this role, such as understanding the media business, a cascade track record, ability to build up franchise content and being a deal-maker.