• Profile: A Depression and Cancer by Steve Jobs: The Secret to Success of Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney

It is the end of an era for Disney, without a doubt one of the most prosperous in its history. Bob Iger, the man who managed to incorporate Pixar, Fox, LucasFilm and Marvel into the Mickey mouse empire, has ceased to be the company's CEO after 15 years at the helm. He will be replaced by Bob Chapek, an executive with 27 years of experience in the company.

This opens a transition period in which Iger will remain linked to the firm until December 2021, when his contract ends, as decided by the board of directors this Tuesday. At that time, Iger will take over the creative part of the firm as executive president.

The announcement ends months of rumors about its possible substitutes. In addition to Chapek, who until now was the head of theme parks, products and experiences, Pete Rice, executive of the newly acquired Fox, and Kevin Mayer, the man who was responsible for directing the launch of the platform streaming company, Disney +.

The change in the dome does not stop representing a surprise since Iger still has 22 months of contract left. However, the former CEO explained that he wanted to devote that time to working with Chapek so he can get to know all aspects of the company in depth before retiring.

"With the successful launch of Disney's direct consumer business and the integration of 21st Century Fox underway, I think this is the optimal time for the transition to a new CEO," Iger said in a statement. "I have the utmost confidence in Bob and I look forward to working closely with him for the next 22 months while he assimilates this new role and goes deeper into Disney's multifaceted divisions and operations."

Chapek will have a hard time overcoming what Iger achieved in these 15 years. What he now puts in his hands is the biggest giant in the entertainment industry worldwide, an empire fattened by the acquisitions of Marvel, Pixar and LucasFilm. In March 2019 he put the icing on the cake by incorporating Fox into his catalog after an agreement for 71.3 billion dollars.

"Obviously I have a big gap to fill," the new CEO said in an interview with CNBC. "Bob's legacy (Iger) is simply deep." Its medium-term mission, mainly, will be to strengthen the company's position in the streaming market , in an open war that has been waged since November with Netflix, Apple, Amazon and HBO, mainly.

For now, you will have to deal with the effects of coronavirus on your company. The parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong remain closed due to the effects of the epidemic in China by order of the authorities. In addition, the premiere of Mulán could be seriously affected if the closure of movie theaters in recent weeks remains in effect.

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