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News Bob Iger Steps Down - Bob Chapek CEO
- Thread starter Disney Analyst
- Start date
brb1006
Well-Known Member
Nobody trusts Chapek as the new CEO knowing what he done with WDW and DL.I am not as pessimistic as the rest of you; explain why I should be.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I am not as pessimistic as the rest of you; explain why I should be.
"I like to say that we have the most characters in this land than in any land in any other Disney park, because each of the Cast Members here in Star Wars Galaxy's Edge has a backstory."
- Bob Chapek to the Los Angeles Times, 2019
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NateD1226
Well-Known Member
Did he actually say this...you have to be joking...
TP2000
Well-Known Member
He not only said it, he said it four months after the land opened and with a straight face in a major pre-planned interview with the LA Times, where his Communications team would have prepped him with approved talking points and commentary that he had bought off on before he tried to say it.
Commentary: What works, what's missing and what needs fixing at Disney's Galaxy's Edge
A progress report on Disney's largest single land expansion after a summer of sparse crowds at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
www.latimes.com
NateD1226
Well-Known Member
Well...Welcome to the downfall of Disney everyone!He not only said it, he said it four months after the land opened and with a straight face in a major pre-planned interview with the LA Times, where his Communications team would have prepped him with approved talking points and commentary that he had bought off on before he tried to say it.
Commentary: What works, what's missing and what needs fixing at Disney's Galaxy's Edge
A progress report on Disney's largest single land expansion after a summer of sparse crowds at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
I just caught the news. I'm so happy about all of the drama that is about to ensue.
Me too! This one is going to be fun.
Stripes
Well-Known Member
Such is the way of all flesh.
NateD1226
Well-Known Member
I just caught the news. I'm so happy about all of the drama that is about to ensue.
Me three! This is already giving me august vibesMe too! This one is going to be fun.
tirian
Well-Known Member
That wouldn’t be ideal either, because it would mean the underlying issues weren’t resolved.
I'm sorry, but you guys are acting silly and dramatic. And for those of you laughing at me on my last post, I wasn't trying be funny. I'm serious. I'm just trying be mature. I don't want to go obsessing or get upset and say this is the end of Disney as we know crap. I'm trying to be open minded and giving him a chance. If you don't want to give him a chance, that's fine. Have it your way. I'm sorry that I was ranting and I hate it when I rant, but this is just way out of proportion.
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TP2000
Well-Known Member
It is unusual, but not unheard of if the contract still hasn't run out. I just wonder what triggered this? Why did Iger suddenly decide he needed out after he repeatedly wrangled contract extensions in recent years? I would sincerely hope this wasn't triggered by bad medical or personal news for Iger.
And it's "Effective immediately".
Assuming its not an immediate health concern that caused this, Iger is no spring chicken and maybe he just realized he only has so much longer to enjoy life? If I was him I would have left at 65 and gone to play tennis and take naps for the next decade or two.
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George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
When was the last time someone who oversaw the theme parks division was suddenly put in charge of the entire company? Is this...normal?
tirian
Well-Known Member
Colgalzier would be awful. He’s a textbook example of someone who manages to keep failing upwards, leaving others to clean up his messes.Oh, I already just spent 10 minutes on the phone with someone who would have some good intel and I jotted a few ideas and names down as we talked, while I DVR'ed that CNBC interview.
The big question for us this afternoon is who will lead the Parks division? There are two clear options that are being thrown around, plus the wild card that Mr. Chapek will bring in someone totally new to take over his old job as Parks chairman.
But the two most obvious options this afternoon were explained to me as;
1. Michael Colglazier, who was promoted a couple years ago from Disneyland President to President of the Asian parks, mostly Shanghai and Hong Kong with a dotted line to Tokyo via the OLC structure. This is the most obvious choice from a organizational structure perspective, as Mr. Colglazier technically outranks the other site Presidents in Anaheim, Orlando and Paris. Mr. Colglazier has obviously been very busy trying to manage the complete collapse and hibernation of Disney's theme park business in China for the past month, but at least from an Org Chart perspective he's the second in command behind Mr. Chapek. The downside here is that Mr. Colglazier was not warmly thought of in Anaheim and is seen as rather snobby, wonky, and just a little weird to interact with. He also has a habit of snapping at underlings who don't pander to him. He wasn't missed when he departed Anaheim for a Burbank office overseeing China. Also, his wife is extremely boring to interact with.
2. Josh Damaro, the man who replaced Mr. Colglazier and was universally beloved by Anaheim CM's. Josh was sort of the anti-Colglazier in that he was personable, approachable, and doesn't have a snobby bone in his body. He genuinely seemed to care for the CM's and wanted to make their work experience better, and he had a good handle on how to manage up to Mr. Chapek and carve out as much resources as he could for Anaheim from his bosses in Burbank. He also was quick to defer to the experts in the field, which was a noticeable change from Mr. Colglazier who liked to pretend he was the smartest guy in the room on almost all topics. Of course, Mr. Damaro was so good that only 18 months after he arrived in Anaheim he was given a promotion by being sent back out to Florida to oversee WDW. Josh Damaro also won huge points in Burbank for smoothing over the damaged political relationship with Anaheim that Mr. Colglazier left behind, although in hindsight Mr. Colglazier is now seen by Burbank as the real culprit for that mess which elevates Mr. Damaro further. However, on the Org Chart he's still a step behind Mr. Colglazier, so it would be a massive promotion for Mr. Damaro and probably really upset Mr. Colglazier if he gets the Chairman gig, but the real people who keep Disney's theme parks running are rooting for Mr. Damaro by a landslide. And finally, his wife is an absolute doll who is fun to chat with.
3. Someone we don't know. Mr. Chapek has shown a willingness in the past to bring in random executives with no experience in the hospitality or theme park industries to take over theme parks. He did this with Ms. Christie Fleischer a few years ago, although that ended quickly as she jumped ship and left Disney entirely because theme parks weren't her gig. But Mr. Chapek could be willing to bring in a senior executive from his vast network of contacts in the retail industry, either within Disney or outside of it. That could get really ugly really fast if that happens.
So, that's what I got out of a phone call just a bit ago. I'm sure we'll get some more info and insight as the days progress.
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Disney Irish
Premium Member
Actually this isn't new. I'm not sure why people are having an issue understanding this.
Chapeak reports to the Board of Directors, just like any other CEO. Iger is the Executive Chairman of the Board who leads the Board. So Chapeak reports to the Board who is lead by Iger, hence is reporting to Iger.
The only time when a CEO doesn't have to report directly to the Chairman of the Board is when they themselves are Chairman of the Board.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
And it wouldn't be so bad if he was at least likable.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
That's a really good point. This isn't normal. There have been previous Parks Chairmen who were rumored to be in line for Eisner's or Iger's job; vaguely Paul Pressler circa 2000, but he bailed a year after DCA flopped and went to The Gap. And most recently Tom Staggs, but Staggs kind of flailed a bit and when he was reported in the Wall Street Journal as having "an anemic personality" (ouch!), Staggs also bowed out and left Disney.
The post-Iger succession plan has always been murky and fairly dramatic over the past 10 years, but we've never seen a Parks Chairman actually get the top spot before.
Normally this would be cause for celebration, but obviously it's not this time.
Yes that is correct but I do not think the Disney Board micro manages Iger. Chapek may need consultation and approval from mother Iger. So Chapek looks like a puppet CEO.