It is as if Brigitta managed to marry Scrooge. A Copernican revolution in the reassuring world of Mickey’s aunts, nephews, cousins and eternal girlfriends. Walt Disney elected a woman as president for the first time in the entertainment giant’s 98-year history. She too, it must be said, did not take long, because the new number one, Susan Arnold, 67, has been a member of the Disney board of directors for 14. He will succeed Bob Iger at the end of this year. Previously, she was an executive at the global investment firm Carlyle. Iger, who stepped down as Disney CEO in 2020 after 15 years in the role, will be leaving the company by the end of this month. “In assuming this new role as chairman of the board, I look forward to continuing to serve the long-term interests of Disney’s shareholders and to work closely with CEO Bob Chapek to continue the company’s centuries-old legacy. of creative excellence and innovation, “Arnold said in a statement. “Susan is an incredibly respected executive whose wealth of experience, unwavering integrity and expert judgment have been tremendous assets to the company since she joined the board in 2007,” replied Iger. Certainly not revolutionary statements, but which open to true innovation.
The handover will mark the end of an era for the company, which will no longer see Iger in a key operational role for the first time since 1996. He is responsible for the major Disney acquisitions: from the Pixar brand in 2006 to Marvel. in 2009, from Lucasfilm (2012) to 21st Century Fox (in 2019). The news of the resignation was Iger himself, explaining to the board that he would resign from the office of president at the same time as he would leave his role as executive president, precisely at the end of the year. Arnold has had several managerial positions at the top of the private equity Carlyle Group of Procter & Gamble and Mc Donalds. And since 2002 she has been on the list of the 50 most powerful women in business. In short, maybe she is less skilled than Brigitta at making cookies, but in terms of managerial titles, few are behind her.