Which Skills Does Disney’s Next CEO Need?
We’ve probably entered the final stretch of the race to succeed Bob Iger as CEO of The Walt Disney Company.
This announcement likely comes during the next 12 months. I say this because as of July 1st, 2025, Iger only has 18 months remaining on the job.
Since Iger has previously indicated a desire to help his successor during their first few months on the job, that narrows the timeline.
Someone should be in place by the middle of next summer. Otherwise, Iger won’t be there for the new CEO to lean on.
(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
Now that Disney is whittling down the candidates, it’s time to answer a simple question. Which skills does Disney’s next CEO need?
Ability to Manage Creatives
Image: Disney
I’m cribbing off someone else’s homework on a few of these, while using Iger himself for another, and then mentioning a couple of my own.
The primary source for this topic is Kevin Mayer, the former Disney executive who anchored the Disney+ project.
Photo: TheWrap.com
Mayer infamously finished second to Bob Chapek in Disney’s most recent succession race.
So, he knows better than most which skills candidates should possess…and probably which ones he lacked.
(Photo by Beck Starr/WireImage)
To Mayer, the skill that’s paramount for Disney’s CEO to succeed is obvious.
The leader of Disney must be able to manage creatives. Mayer is referencing the people who create the stories you love.
The creative process is a notoriously tricky thing, and I say that as someone who writes several thousand words a day.
Sometimes, the words flow easily. In other instances, it’s like pulling my own teeth.
Photo: Disney
Literally thousands of people on the Disney payroll fall into this bucket as creatives.
Each day, they wake up feeling the pressure to do or create something that will entertain Disney fans.
Photo: Disney
As such, they’re a bit mercurial and flaky. To prove the point, I’m writing the first part of this at 2 a.m.
Creatives like me are nutjobs, and it takes a delicate touch to keep us on task, much less on schedule.
Photo: CNBC
Mayer believes that Bob Chapek’s undoing as Disney CEO was his utter inability to deal with people like me.
Chapek tried ruling with an iron fist, and all it did was make people dance on his grave after he got fired.
Photo: Getty
Conversely, Iger’s one true skill as a leader is the ability to get the best out of creative people.
That’s why Disney has dominated the 21st century in entertainment. Iger’s successor must be nearly as good as him to keep the Disney Flywheel spinning.
Ability to Manage Egos
Photo: Walt Disney Company
I swear I’m not trying to turn this into a Bob Chapek hit piece, as there are plenty enough of those on the internet.
Still, these first two skills are Exhibits A and B as to why Chapek is out of a job right now.
Photo: CNBC
The man couldn’t handle his own ego, much less anybody else’s. When Scarlett Johansson correctly asked for money owed to her, his reaction was absurd.
Chapek blamed a pregnant woman for being selfish during a pandemic rather than admitting his own mistakes.
They’ll be teaching this bit of mismanagement in class for decades to come. It was an all-time gaffe.
Chapek similarly infuriated any number of executives who had felt empowered under Iger.
D23
The temporary CEO, Chapek, made a decision to close ranks, trusting only his inner circle.
As a logical outcome of this ridiculous practice, other executives at Disney felt threatened and unappreciated.
Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
One of them, Peter Rice, wound up in a battle of egos with the insecure Chapek, who fired his employee. It was a grotesque abuse of power.
The head of Disney must possess enough self-confidence that they’re not worried about the skill of other executives.
Photo: The Walt Disney Company
In fact, Disney’s CEO should be delighted to know that they’re surrounded by talent in every division.
That’s the whole point of building a business as successful as Disney. You want to surround yourself with the best people, not live in fear of them.
Asset Management
Photo: ABC
Here’s another crucial skill due to the scope and scale of the Disney empire.
The person who becomes the next leader of Disney will be in charge of the following brands:
- ABC
- Disney Cruise Line
- Disney Consumer Products (Merchandising)
- Disney Theme Parks
- ESPN
- Fox
- Hulu
- Marvel
- National Geographic
- Pixar
- Star Wars/Lucasfilm
- Walt Disney Animation
Hulu
No pressure, eh? Running any single one of those businesses would be an all-encompassing job.
Disney’s CEO must decide the future of all these entities and countless others I didn’t even list.
Then, we have the theoreticals such as mergers and acquisitions.
For example, Disney recently purchased a stake in Epic Games, the makers of Fortnite and Unreal Engine.
Photo: EPIC Games
At some point, Disney’s next CEO will decide whether to try to buy the rest, acquire EA, or an exhibitor like Regal Cinema, or even sell to Apple.
Every single decision that Bob Iger makes right now is fraught with peril, as we witnessed during two different activist investor battles.
(Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images)
Someone outside the company scrutinized Iger’s every decision and put him under the microscope.
Iger lives a fishbowl existence that borders on the real-life version of The Truman Show.
(Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Vox Media)
He’s like a YouTube content creator who never turns off the camera. We know anything he does.
That’s the pressure that Disney’s next CEO will face as well. And they will get crucified for every mistake they make with Marvel, Pixar, or Star Wars.
Photo: Marvel
It’s the life they’re choosing, and they better be really good at it. Remember that Chapek didn’t even last three years.
“Genuine Decency”
Photo: Disney
Now, here’s a quote directly from Bob Iger.
In “The Ride of A Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company, his autobiography, Iger says the following:
“When hiring, try to surround yourself with people who are good in addition to being good at what they do.”
He describes this priority as a focus on “genuine decency” as a crucial leadership trait.
Photo: Deadline
Iger practices what he preaches as well. As I recently discussed in Disney Headlines, the executive owns the Angel City FC soccer team.
This team printed out more than 10,000 shirts to demonstrate their support for Southern California immigrants.
Photo: Variety
It’s the type of action that shows love to the very people most likely to visit tourist spots like a soccer stadium or theme park.
Iger’s belief in prioritizing decency has enabled the career ascensions of people like Dana Walden and Josh D’Amaro.
(Photo by Adam Kissick/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images)
Both of them are renowned for being beloved within their industries. In fact, Walden is the godmother to iconic producer Ryan Murphy’s kids.
Iger has hired people who can make an authentic connection with others. His successor must do the same.
Photo: Walt Disney Company
Should that person be Walden or D’Amaro, they’d definitely fit the bill.
Willingness to Listen
Source: CNBC.com
Again, one of Chapek’s biggest mistakes is unmistakable with the benefit of hindsight.
When Chapek received his promotion, he promptly chose to remake Disney in his own image.
Photo: AdWeek
Chapek cast aside many longstanding practices of Iger, a calculated decision that proved foolhardy.
Simply stated, Chapek shut out Iger, someone with more than 15 years of experience in running Disney.
(Charley Gallay / Getty Images for Disney)
The next Disney CEO must demonstrate a willingness to listen to Iger, the former CEO, as well as others.
Rather than telling underlings what to do, Disney’s CEO should ask them what assistance they need in their jobs.
Photo: DIsney+
To a larger point, Iger’s successor should view their first year on the job as a kind of apprenticeship.
As long as Iger is there, they should lean on him for guidance in the inner workings of the Disney Flywheel.
Image: Disney
Then, after he retires, Disney’s new CEO should keep in touch Iger and maybe even Michael Eisner as well.
Only other former Disney CEOs can understand the weight of the crown. I mean, I don’t even think it’d hurt to reconnect with Chapek.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The next leader of Disney must be willing to listen to anyone and everyone who can help.
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