Credit: DisneyDisney CEO Bob Iger is in a battle with billionaires and former fellow executives to keep his position as leader of the world’s most iconic entertainment conglomerate, and it seems that another of the company’s chiefs is already angling to replace him.
Bob Iger returned to the Walt Disney Company in 2022 at the behest of a board of directors who feared that now-former CEO Bob Chapek (who had replaced Iger in reportedly antagonistic circumstances) had led them into a quagmire of collapsing film franchises, dwindling park attendance, and a series of ongoing lawsuits with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
He was expected to lead the company back to global dominance, which hasn’t exactly happened. Instead, Bob Iger is facing a proxy battle from Trian Partners billionaire Nelson Peltz that would likely see him removed from his position and repeated questions about when, how, and if he would ever step down as Disney CEO.
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There is much debate about who might possibly step up to replace Bob Iger as Disney CEO, particularly as he has been accused by other insiders of systemically gutting the company of any potential successors to consolidate his authority for years. A new report from The Hollywood Reporter says there is one person who is already working behind the scenes to do so: Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden.
While Disney has not officially indicated that it has any nominees to replace Bob Iger, the CEO himself has said it is a “number one priority,” and the new report suggests that Dana Walden is both being groomed for the position and eliminating any other potential contenders.
In particular, the report describes an apparent inside coup in which Dana Walden effectively demoted ABC News boss Kim Godwin, a notable and controversial figure within the company, by creating a new television division and promoting Debra OConnell as its head. It even claims that Walden declined to provide a quote for Godwin’s effective leadership.
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Even if Kim Godwin was not being considered as an active candidate as the new Disney CEO, it can be strongly argued that Dana Walden was demonstrating her Iger-like ruthlessness in cutting divisions, reducing the importance of linear television, and removing potential liabilities for the company.
It will have to remain to be seen whether Bob Iger is ousted by Nelson Peltz in the upcoming board vote and, if not, whether he ever decides to actually step down. But either way, Dana Walden is waiting in the wings.
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