Bob Iger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bob Iger
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Bob Iger in 2013
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Robert Alan Iger
February 10, 1951 New York City, US
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| Education | Ithaca College (BS) |
| Title | CEO, The Walt Disney Company |
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| Predecessor | |
| Successor | Bob Chapek |
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Kathleen Susan
(divorced)Willow Bay
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| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Jerry Iger (great-uncle) |
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Robert Alan Iger (born February 10, 1951), often called Bob Iger, is a very important American business leader. He is best known as the chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company. He has led Disney for many years, helping it grow into a huge entertainment company.
Before joining Disney, Iger was the president of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) from 1994 to 1995. He also worked as president and chief operating officer (COO) of Capital Cities/ABC. Disney bought Capital Cities/ABC in 1996.
Iger became president of Disney in 2000. In 2005, he took over as CEO from Michael Eisner. He stayed in this role until 2020. After that, he was an executive chairman until he retired in 2021.
However, Disney's board of directors asked Iger to return as CEO in November 2022. This happened after the previous CEO, Bob Chapek, left the company. Iger's contract was extended until 2026.
Bob Iger is known for being a very successful leader. He helped Disney get many new popular stories and characters. He also made Disney bigger around the world. During his first time as CEO, Disney's value grew from $56 billion to $231 billion.
He led Disney in buying several big companies. These included Pixar in 2006, Marvel Entertainment in 2009, and Lucasfilm (which owns Star Wars) in 2012. He also oversaw the huge purchase of many parts of 21st Century Fox in 2019.
Iger also helped Disney build new theme parks in East Asia. These include Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (opened 2005) and Shanghai Disney Resort (opened 2016). He also helped make Walt Disney Animation Studios strong again. He also pushed for Disney to invest more in streaming services like Disney+ and Hulu.
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Early life and education
Robert Alan Iger was born in New York City. His parents were Miriam and Arthur Iger. His father was a veteran of World War II and worked in marketing and teaching. His mother worked at a junior high school.
Iger grew up in Oceanside, New York. He went to Oceanside High School and finished in 1969. In 1973, he graduated from Ithaca College. He earned a degree in Television and Radio.
Career
Iger started his career in media in 1972. He hosted a TV show at Ithaca College called Campus Probe. For a short time, he worked as a weatherman. He first dreamed of becoming a news anchor.
American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
In 1974, Iger joined the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). His first job was doing simple tasks on TV sets.
In 1988, Iger was a senior executive for the Calgary Winter Olympics. The weather caused problems and delayed events. Iger's team focused on interesting human stories, like the Jamaican bobsled team. This helped ABC get very high TV ratings. His good work under pressure caught the eye of ABC's leaders.
In 1989, he became the head of ABC Entertainment. He approved popular shows like Twin Peaks and America's Funniest Home Videos. He moved up in the company, becoming president and chief operating officer of Capital Cities/ABC in 1994.
The Walt Disney Company
In 1995, The Walt Disney Company bought Capital Cities/ABC. Iger stayed as chairman of ABC, Inc. until 1999.
In 1999, Disney made Iger president of Walt Disney International. This part of the company handles Disney's business around the world.
On January 24, 2000, Disney named Iger president and chief operating officer (COO). This made him the second-highest executive at Disney, working under CEO Michael Eisner.
In 2005, Disney announced that Iger would become the new CEO. He took over from Michael Eisner on September 30, 2005.
One of Iger's first big decisions as CEO was to change how Disney planned its future. He also became known as "Bob" instead of "Robert" around this time.
On January 24, 2006, Disney announced it would buy Pixar for $7.4 billion. Pixar is famous for animated movies like Toy Story. In the same year, Iger also got back the rights to Walt Disney's first cartoon character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
In August 2009, Iger led Disney to buy Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. This deal brought characters like Iron Man and Captain America to Disney. By 2014, Marvel movies had already earned more than the purchase price.
In October 2012, Iger made a deal with filmmaker George Lucas. Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion. This meant Disney now owned the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies.
In March 2016, Iger announced the opening of the $5.5 billion Shanghai Disney Resort. This new theme park opened later that year in China.
Iger's contract as Disney's CEO was extended several times. In 2019, Disney bought many parts of 21st Century Fox. This deal brought even more movies and TV shows to Disney.
In April 2019, it was announced that Iger would leave his CEO role in 2021. He resigned from Apple's board of directors in September 2019. This was to avoid a conflict of interest, as Disney and Apple were both launching new streaming services. Disney launched Disney+ and Apple launched Apple TV+.
In September 2019, Iger released his book called The Ride of a Lifetime.
In 2020, Iger planned to retire. Bob Chapek became the new CEO. Iger stayed on as executive chairman to help with the change. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his time was extended until the end of 2021. On December 31, 2021, Iger stepped down.
But on November 20, 2022, Bob Chapek was removed by the Disney board. Iger was asked to return as CEO. He first agreed to stay for two years. However, in July 2023, his contract was extended until the end of 2026.
Company boards and other activities
On November 15, 2011, Apple Inc. asked Iger to join its board of directors. He left Apple's board in September 2019. This was because Disney+ would compete with Apple TV+.
In October 2020, he joined the board of Perfect Day. This company makes dairy products without using animals.
Iger also joined the board of Genies, Inc. in March 2022.
In July 2024, Iger and his wife, Willow Bay, invested in Angel City FC. This is a women's soccer team in Los Angeles.
Personal life
Iger has been married twice. His first marriage ended in divorce. He has two daughters from that marriage. In 1995, Iger married journalist Willow Bay. They have two sons.
Forbes magazine estimates that Bob Iger's net worth is over $700 million in 2024.
Politics
Iger has said he is a political centrist. He used to be part of the Democratic Party. In 2016, he changed his registration to be an independent.
In 2016, there was a disagreement about low wages at Disneyland. Iger wrote on Facebook that Disney had hired many new employees. He spoke out against Senator Bernie Sanders on this issue. Disney later settled with the government and paid back wages.
Iger helped raise money for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016. He also joined a business group for Donald Trump when Trump was elected president. But he left that group in June 2017. He did this to protest after President Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Iger thought about running for president himself as a Democrat. But he decided not to.
Accolades and recognition
In December 2019, Time magazine named Iger their Businessperson of the Year. In 2020, he was added to the Television Hall of Fame.
In September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II gave Iger an honorary award. He was made an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). This was for his work in improving relations between the UK and the US.
Works
- The Ride of a Lifetime (2019)
See also
In Spanish: Bob Iger para niños
