Iger’s New Book May Hold Clues to Identity of Disney CEO’s Successor

(Bloomberg) -- If mentions in Bob Iger’s new management book are a clue as to who might succeed him at the helm of Walt Disney Co., streaming czar Kevin Mayer may have the inside track.

The chairman of Disney’s direct-to-consumer and international division, Mayer is mentioned 13 times in Iger’s “The Ride of a Lifetime,” which came out Monday. That’s more than any other current Disney division chief.

In the book, Mayer, 57, is credited with pressing Disney to acquire Marvel, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox. In the acknowledgments, Iger calls him a “master strategist and dealmaker. A CEO couldn’t ask for a better strategic partner.”

Film studio chief Alan Horn is mentioned eight times. Iger calls him “the best hire I’ve ever made.” Though at age 76, Horn isn’t considered in the running to replace the 68-year-old Iger.

Parks Chairman Bob Chapek comes in third, at four mentions. He has “done a tremendous job running our consumer products and theme park businesses, and was invaluable in the run-up to the opening of Shanghai Disneyland,” Iger writes.

Jimmy Pitaro, who runs ESPN, is mentioned once, having “guided ESPN honorably and ably.” Peter Rice, who oversees traditional networks such as ABC, the Disney Channel and National Geographic, isn’t mentioned at all, although he just joined the company with the Fox merger in March.

Iger has postponed his retirement at least three times and is now scheduled to step down in December 2021. He has said in the past that the company will consider internal and external candidates to replace him. He reiterated during an appearance Monday on the ABC talk show “The View” that this time it’s for real.

“I used to say I failed retirement,” Iger said. “It just feels like time.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Christopher Palmeri in Los Angeles at cpalmeri1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net, Rob Golum

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