The Walt Disney Company‘s executive chairman Bob Iger has revealed why he decided to resign as CEO last year, ahead of his departure from the company at the end of 2021.
Iger stepped down as CEO of Disney in February 2020. He was replaced by Bob Chapek. Iger took on the role of executive chairman in the same month, after serving as CEO since 2005.
During an interview with CNBC’s David Faber, Iger said he knew it was time to leave Disney as he had become “a little bit more dismissive of other people’s opinions”.
“Over time, I started listening less and maybe with a little less tolerance of other people’s opinions, maybe because of getting a little bit more overconfident in my own, which is sometimes what happens when you get built up,” Iger said.
“I became a little bit more dismissive of other people’s opinions than I should have been,” added Iger. “That was an early sign that it was time. It wasn’t the reason I left, but it was a contributing factor.”
Bob Iger leaves Disney at the end of 2021
Discussing Chapek’s role as CEO, Iger said: “Look, the world is changing dramatically, and it’s important for the CEO of a company to address all of those changes rapidly.”
“Bob [Chapek] is going to address them probably differently perhaps than I may have. But that’s neither good nor bad. I think change, I think generally speaking, change is good. Change isn’t necessarily bad,” he added.
The Walt Disney Company previously appointed Susan Arnold as chairman of the board, effective from December 31, 2021. She succeeds Iger and is the first woman to serve as chairman of the board in the company’s history.
Additionally, Horacio Gutierrez has been named as Disney‘s senior executive VP, secretary and general counsel. Most recently, Gutierrez was Spotify’s head of global affairs and chief legal officer.
“Horacio is an incredibly skilled attorney and dynamic leader who comes to Disney with 35 years of legal experience in markets around the globe,” Chapek said.
Images: Disney
