40 Facts About Bob Iger

Robert Allen Iger is an American media business executive who currently serves as the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company.

Bob Iger was named president of Disney in 2000 and succeeded Michael Eisner as CEO in 2005, until his contract expired in 2020.

Bob Iger then served as executive chairman until his retirement from the company on December 31,2021.

Bob Iger led the major acquisitions of Pixar in 2006 for $7.4 billion, Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for $4 billion, Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4.06 billion, and the entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox in 2019 for $71.3 billion.

Bob Iger expanded the company's theme park resorts presence in East Asia, with the introduction of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Shanghai Disney Resort in 2005 and 2016, respectively.

Robert Bob Iger was born to a Jewish family in New York City.

Bob Iger is the oldest son of Miriam "Mimi" and Arthur L Iger.

Bob Iger's father was a World War II Navy veteran who served as the executive vice president and general manager of the Greenvale Marketing Corporation, and was a professor of advertising and public relations; he played the trumpet and had bipolar disorder.

Bob Iger's mother worked at Boardman Junior High School in Oceanside, New York.

Bob Iger was raised in Oceanside, where he attended the Fulton Avenue School and graduated from Oceanside High School in 1969.

Bob Iger began his media career in 1972 as the host of Campus Probe, an Ithaca College television show.

Bob Iger dreamed of becoming a news anchor while he worked as a weatherman in Ithaca for five months, before shifting his career goals.

In 1988, Bob Iger served as the senior program executive for the Calgary Winter Olympics.

On March 13,2005, Disney announced that Bob Iger would succeed Michael Eisner as CEO, and Bob Iger was placed in charge of day-to-day operations, though Eisner held the title of CEO until he resigned on September 30,2005.

On October 7,2011, Disney announced that Bob Iger would become chairman of the board, following John Pepper's retirement from the board in March 2012.

Bob Iger was responsible for making Steve Jobs Disney's largest shareholder by its acquisition of Pixar.

In October 2012, Bob Iger signed a deal with filmmaker George Lucas to purchase Lucasfilm for $4 billion following several months of negotiations.

In March 2016, Bob Iger announced that the $5.5 billion Shanghai Disney Resort would open its doors on June 16,2016.

In May 2016, Bob Iger wrote in a Facebook post claiming that Disney has hired 11,000 new employees in the past decade at Disneyland, and 18,000 in the past 5 years in the US Bob Iger specifically targeted Vermont Senator, Bernie Sanders, asking him how much he has contributed to job growth.

In November 2017, Variety reported that Bob Iger knew about a 2010 Oscar party where Pixar chief John Lasseter was seen "making out with a junior staffer", seeming to confirm anonymous allegations that Lasseter's inappropriate interactions with young women had been known to company leadership since the 1990s.

Bob Iger resigned from Apple's board of directors on September 10,2019, in order to avoid a conflict of interest as Disney and Apple prepared to launch competing streaming services Disney+ and Apple TV+.

In September 2019, Bob Iger released his New York Times Best Seller, The Ride of a Lifetime, which includes Bob Iger's years-long efforts to open Shanghai Disneyland Park; he traveled to China 40 times over 18 years for the project.

On December 31,2021, Bob Iger stepped down completely and was succeeded by Susan Arnold as chair of the board.

However, on November 20,2022, Bob Iger replaced Chapek, reprising as the CEO.

Bob Iger agreed to hold the post for two years while looking for a successor that will lead the company.

Bob Iger joined the board of Genies, Inc in March 2022.

In 1995, Bob Iger married journalist Willow Bay in an interfaith Jewish and Roman Catholic service in Bridgehampton, New York.

Bob Iger has been noted for his kindness by David Geffen, who said: "I have never heard one person say a bad thing about him and I have never seen him be mean".

Bob Iger has described himself as a political centrist, while he has publicly identified with the Democratic Party.

Bob Iger co-chaired a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign on August 22,2016.

Bob Iger was named to President-elect Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum on December 2,2016.

Bob Iger resigned from the Forum on June 1,2017 out of protest after President Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement.

In 2016, Bob Iger switched his party registration from Democratic to independent.

Bob Iger serves as an advisor on the COVID-19 Technology Task Force, a technology industry coalition founded in March 2020 collaborating on solutions to respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bob Iger considered running for president as a Democrat in the 2020 election, however ultimately decided against running.

Bob Iger was recognized for his support of the institute's work, his longtime philanthropy, and his leadership role in corporate citizenship.

Bob Iger was presented with The Milestone Award from the Producers Guild of America in 2014.

Bob Iger was selected by members of TIA in recognition of his contributions to the industry, and the impact his work has had on the lives of children worldwide.

In December 2019, Bob Iger was named by Time as their Businessperson of the Year.

In May 2021, Bob Iger delivered the commencement address at The University of Texas at Austin.