New Disney Chair's "Top Priority" is Finding CEO Bob Iger's Successor

The Walt Disney Company has gone through quite a bit of change recently.

©Disney

Since Bob Chapek was ousted and Bob Iger returned as CEO, we’ve seen other executives come and go as well. Disney announced that NIKE’s Mark Parker would be the next Chairman of the Board following Susan Arnold’s departure, and now we have a better idea of just what he hopes to accomplish at Disney.

Disney’s Board of Directors recently announced that they have elected Mark Parker as Chairman of the Board, effective after the next Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

He has been a member of the Disney Board for seven years and “has helped the Company effectively navigate through a time of unprecedented change,” according to current Disney Chair Susan Arnold.

But, Parker has a very important job ahead of him: to find CEO Bob Iger’s successor. When Iger signed back on as Disney CEO, he was tasked with helping find and develop his eventual replacement — something that Mark Parker will be assisting Iger with by leading the Succession Planning Committee of the Board.

Not only that, but finding a new CEO is the “top priority” according to the new Disney Chairman, who shared that the goal of the committee is to “identify and prepare a successful CEO successor, and that process has already begun.” Iger has only signed on for two years, and that means the clock is ticking when it comes to finding his replacement.

This is something Mark Parker is familiar with, though, as current Disney Chair Susan Arnold shared, “During his four decades at NIKE, Mark has led one of the world’s most recognized consumer brands through various market evolutions and a successful CEO transition, and he is uniquely positioned to chair the Disney Board during this period of transformation.”

Iger also commented on Parker’s ability to lead and said, “Mark Parker’s vision, incredible depth of experience and wise counsel have been invaluable to Disney, and I look forward to continuing working with him in his new role, along with our other directors, as we chart the future course for this amazing company.”

Parker shared that he’s planing on working “closely with Bob and his management team on a strategy of growth” that will preserve “Disney’s core mission of creative excellence.” Part of that growth will be determining who might be a good fit and be able to lead The Walt Disney Company.

We’ll continue to keep an eye on updates from Disney and the hunt for the next CEO, so be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for the latest news!