Disney parks chief key contender for CEO post

Bob Chapek, chairman of Parks and Resorts at Disney, is emerging as the most likely candidate for CEO Bob Iger, according to reports.

Iger has postponed retirement for three years and it’s looking like that he will soon step down making way for Chapek, according to Bloomberg. Iger is scheduled to retire in July 2019.

The look to Chapek is attributed to his current success as Parks chief, where he has delivered steady returns. In Disney’s year-end results for 2017, his department was the only one of four units to report an increase in sales and profit.

Chapek has also worked with Disney for 24 years in various departments including consumer products and the film studio, making him a likely candidate for the role, according to sources Bloomberg spoke to.

Former chief financial officer, Thomas Staggs, was seen as the likely heir after a promotion to COO in 2015, but the exec stepped down from his role in 2016.