Bob Iger, the Executive Chairman and former CEO of the Walt Disney Company, was interviewed recently by Sirius XM Business Radio about what his plans will be after he officially leaves the company on December 31st of this year. The episode is a part of Sirius XM Business Radio’s Leadership Matters series and airs on April 6th, but we got a sneak peek of the topics discussed.
Iger tells Sirius XM and the Hollywood Reporter,
I’m not retiring. I can’t possibly do that…I’d like a little bit more leisure time in my life. And I’d like more adventure, whatever that is.
Bob Iger dedicated more than 40 years to the Walt Disney Company, so seeking more leisure time and adventure is understandable after his impressive career. While many felt as though Iger’s decision to step down from his position as CEO was abrupt, he states that he proposed taking over as Executive Chairman “some months before the announcement.”
Before leaving, Iger wanted to be sure that the company was left in what he believes are the best possible hands. Acting as Executive Chairman while newly appointed CEO Bob Chapek begins his role allowed Iger to feel as though “we succeed at succession, and that my successor is successful.” His second goal is that he leaves his successor and the company with the “greatest possible hand created creatively”, which includes “a pipeline of movies, and television shows, and theme park attractions, and lands…that would power the company for many years to come.”
Once officially handing the reins over to Bob Chapek in full, Iger talks about the possibility of writing a sequel to his best-selling memoir. Iger published The Ride of a Lifetime in 2019, and it’s a memoir of his tales of success and leadership. He tells Sirius XM that he thinks his dad would have been proud of this decision.
While wrapping up his time with the Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger states that he hopes he is able to have in-person goodbyes and one more trip to Shanghai Disneyland as a “non-civilian” to celebrate the park’s 5th anniversary.
The full episode will be available on April 6th and you can listen to it here.
Are you sad to see Bob Iger step down at the end of the year? Let us know down below.
No surprise he wants “one more trip to Shanghai Disneyland” and a chance to snuggle with the CCP. Good riddance, and thanks again for ruining a once exceptional company. Us Disney fans will never forget what you did and the ‘legacy’ you left behind.