27 Facts About Bob Chapek

Robert Chapek was born in 1960 in the suburbs of Chicago to a working mother and father, Marie and Bernard W Chapek.

Bob Chapek's family went on annual trips to Walt Disney World.

Bob Chapek has a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from Indiana University Bloomington and a Master of Business Administration from Michigan State University.

Bob Chapek began his Disney career in 1993 as the marketing director for the company's Buena Vista Home Entertainment division, which at that time was focused on VHS tapes.

Bob Chapek knew how to grow the business while adjusting to the changing marketplace, which was intense.

Bob Chapek was appointed president of Disney Consumer Products in September 2011.

In 2013, Bob Chapek secured a deal with Hasbro, whereby the toy company paid Disney $80 million in royalties to extend the license for Marvel toys and an agreement for Hasbro to pay Disney up to $225 million for the rights to forthcoming Star Wars merchandise.

In 2014, Bob Chapek launched the Disney Imagicademy, which was a suite of numerous tablet and smart-phone apps designed to give children high quality learning games.

Bob Chapek said he spearheaded this initiative after numerous parents told his department that they found it difficult to find high quality learning apps out of the thousands that were available online.

On February 23,2015, Bob Chapek was named chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts effective that day to replace Thomas O Staggs, who was promoted to Disney chief operating officer earlier in the month.

Bob Chapek immediately began working towards the completion and launch of Shanghai Disneyland in 2016, which hosted over 11 million guests in its first year of operation.

Bob Chapek directly managed the construction and opening of the new Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

The New York Times noted that Bob Chapek's spending was more money than Disney spent in acquiring Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm combined.

In March 2018, after a reorganization of divisions in order to prepare for the launch of Disney+, Bob Chapek was given back the consumer products divisions, in addition to his responsibilities for all of the parks and resorts and related experiences.

Bob Chapek stated that people who purchase Disney products were already likely to shop at Target, and the deal gives Disney the opportunity to expand its own footprint beyond traditional shopping malls.

On May 18,2020, Bob Chapek announced Josh D'Amaro as his successor to the position of chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.

In numerous interviews with financial news outlets during the pandemic, Bob Chapek has said he is focusing on opening Disney's theme parks.

Bob Chapek acknowledged that this was a "baby step", but found the attendance figures encouraging, considering that the limited number of tickets were selling out.

Bob Chapek vowed to increase capacity in the weeks to come, albeit in a conservative manner.

Bob Chapek stated that upon the reopening of Walt Disney World in July 2020, both employees and guests would be required to take temperature checks, wear face masks, and observe social distancing guidelines.

Bob Chapek said that the company would continue to work with local government and healthcare professionals to open the parks responsibly.

Bob Chapek added that when the parks reopened, the first attraction he will ride would be Pirates of the Caribbean.

In October 2020, Bob Chapek spoke about the company's decision to begin focusing on streaming media, including Disney+, and direct-to-consumer advertising.

The day after, Bob Chapek formally apologized for his prior statements and announced that the company will be ceasing donations to all political parties in Florida while looking to further improve their support for LGBT+ causes.

In June 2022, Bob Chapek signed a three-year contract extension to remain as Walt Disney Company CEO.

Bob Chapek was criticized by the NYT for "implausibly" emphasizing the success of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, which is not a major event for the parks or the company as a whole.

Bob Chapek has been married to his wife Cynthia since 1980 and together they have three children, including former Marvel Studios producer Brian Bob Chapek, and four grandchildren.