Bob Iger
Born 1951 · Age 74
American media executive; long-time CEO and Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, led major acquisitions (Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 21st Century Fox), global expansion, and the launch of Disney+.
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Bob Iger and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Born in New York City
Robert Alan Iger born to Miriam (Tunick) and Arthur L. Iger in New York City into an Austrian-Jewish family.
Graduated Oceanside High School
Completed high school in Oceanside, New York (attended Fulton Avenue School and Oceanside High School).
Hosted Campus Probe (Ithaca College TV)
Began media work hosting Campus Probe at Ithaca College — one of his first on-camera media roles.
Graduated Ithaca College (BS, Television & Radio)
Graduated magna cum laude from Ithaca College School of Communications with a BS in Television and Radio.
Worked as a weatherman in Ithaca
Worked for approximately five months as a weatherman early in his career before shifting away from news-anchor aspirations.
Joined American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
Started at ABC performing menial labor on television sets; first pay reported as $150 per week.
Senior program executive for Calgary Winter Olympics
Managed ABC's coverage of the Calgary Winter Olympics; coverage used human-interest stories and achieved record-high ratings for ABC.
Greenlit major TV programs
As head of ABC Entertainment he greenlit shows such as Twin Peaks, America's Funniest Home Videos and Cop Rock.
Named Head of ABC Entertainment
Became head of ABC Entertainment; greenlit shows including Twin Peaks and America's Funniest Home Videos.
President of ABC Network Television Group
Served as president of the ABC Network Television Group (January 1993 – 1994).
Promoted to Senior Vice President, Capital Cities/ABC
Named senior vice president of Capital Cities/ABC in March 1993.
Promoted to Executive Vice President, Capital Cities/ABC
Elevated to executive vice president in July 1993, furthering his corporate leadership path.
Named President and COO of Capital Cities/ABC
Appointed president and chief operating officer of Capital Cities/ABC.
Disney acquires Capital Cities/ABC; Iger becomes chairman of ABC, Inc.
The Walt Disney Company purchased Capital Cities/ABC; Iger remained chairman of the renamed ABC, Inc. through 1999.
Married Willow Bay
Married journalist Willow Bay in an interfaith Jewish and Roman Catholic service in Bridgehampton, New York (1995).
Named President, Walt Disney International and Chairman of the ABC Group
Disney promoted Iger to president of Walt Disney International and chairman of the ABC Group, expanding his international remit.
Named President & COO of The Walt Disney Company
Appointed president and chief operating officer of Disney, becoming No. 2 executive under Chairman/CEO Michael Eisner.
Save Disney campaign impacts succession
Roy E. Disney and Stanley Gold campaigned against Michael Eisner, initiating a search for Disney's next CEO that implicated Iger as a candidate.
Became Member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
Since 2005 Iger has been a member of the Academy and later chaired the capital campaign for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort introduction (under Iger)
Under Iger's leadership Disney expanded theme-park presence in East Asia with Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (introduced in 2005).
Announced as Michael Eisner's Successor (CEO-designate)
Disney announced Iger would succeed Michael Eisner as CEO and take charge of day-to-day operations.
Succeeded Michael Eisner as CEO of Disney
Eisner resigned Sept 30, 2005; Iger assumed the CEO role and began a 15-year initial stewardship of Disney.
Named MarketWatch 'CEO of the Year'
MarketWatch named Iger CEO of the Year (2006) for his early successes as Disney CEO.
Re-acquired rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Iger negotiated re-acquisition of Walt Disney's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit from NBCUniversal, by arranging Al Michaels' move to NBC.
Market capitalization baseline cited at approx. $56B
At the start of Iger's initial 15-year stewardship Disney's market capitalization was reported around $56 billion (2005 baseline).
Announced acquisition of Pixar ($7.4B)
Disney announced it would acquire Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion.
Negotiated acquisition of Marvel Entertainment ($4B)
Iger led the acquisition of Marvel Entertainment and its assets for $4 billion; Marvel films later grossed more than that amount.
Named Chairman of Disney's Board (announced)
Disney announced on Oct 7, 2011 that Iger would become chairman of the board following John Pepper's retirement in March 2012.
Joined Apple Inc. Board of Directors
Named to Apple's board (Nov 15, 2011) — a high-profile corporate board role; he resigned from the board in 2019 to avoid streaming conflicts.
Elected Chairman of Disney (formal)
Iger assumed the role of Chairman of The Walt Disney Company (formal transition around 2012).
Acquired Lucasfilm ($4.06B)
Iger signed a deal to purchase Lucasfilm for approximately $4.06 billion, bringing Star Wars and Indiana Jones into Disney's portfolio.
Producer's Guild Milestone Award
Named a recipient of the Producers Guild of America Milestone Award (Iger listed among honorees historically).
Chief Executive magazine 'CEO of the Year'
Named 'CEO of the Year' by Chief Executive magazine in 2014.
Contract extended through 2018
Disney extended Iger's contract (reported October 2, 2014) to remain CEO through 2018.
Inducted into Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame
Recognized by the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame for contributions to television and media.
Switched party registration to Independent
In 2016 Iger changed his political registration from Democratic to independent.
Announced opening of Shanghai Disney Resort ($5.5B)
Announced the opening of the Shanghai Disney Resort later that year; project cost cited at $5.5 billion.
Public dispute over Disney wages vs. Bernie Sanders
In May 2016 Iger posted on Facebook defending Disney's hiring and workforce numbers amid criticism from Senator Bernie Sanders.
Co-chaired fundraiser for Hillary Clinton
Co-chaired a major fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign (Aug 22, 2016).
Named to President-elect Trump's Strategic & Policy Forum
Appointed to President-elect Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum on Dec 2, 2016; later resigned in June 2017.
Controversy: Knowledge of past misconduct allegations reported
Variety reported (Nov 2017) that Iger and others were allegedly aware of inappropriate behavior by Pixar chief John Lasseter in prior years; generated internal scrutiny.
Contract extended to July 2, 2019
Disney extended Iger's contract in March 2017 to run through July 2, 2019; he would serve as consultant thereafter.
Resigned from Trump's Advisory Council
Resigned from the President's Strategic and Policy Forum in protest of the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Contract extended through 2021
Board extended Iger's contract again in December 2017 to keep him at Disney through 2021.
Shareholders approve purchase of 21st Century Fox assets
Disney shareholders approved the deal enabling Disney to acquire large swaths of 21st Century Fox assets (approval in July 2018).
Market capitalization at end of initial stewardship (~$231B)
During Iger's initial 15-year stewardship (2005–2020) Disney's market cap reportedly rose from ~$56B to ~$231B.
Named TIME Businessperson of the Year
Recognized as Time's Businessperson of the Year (December 2019) for leadership at Disney.
Completed acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets ($71.3B)
Disney finalized the acquisition of 21st Century Fox entertainment assets for about $71.3 billion (March 2019).
Added to Paz de la Huerta's lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein
Vanity Fair reported that actress Paz de la Huerta added Iger to her lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein alleging decisions that enabled misconduct; Disney denied knowledge.
Resigned from Apple's board
Resigned from Apple Inc.'s board of directors to avoid a conflict of interest between Apple TV+ and Disney+.
Published memoir 'The Ride of a Lifetime'
Released his memoir 'The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of The Walt Disney Company.'
Launched Disney+ (direct-to-consumer streaming)
Oversaw the launch of Disney's streaming service Disney+ in November 2019 as a major strategic shift into DTC streaming.
Inducted into Television Hall of Fame
Inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame (class of 2020).
Announced intention to retire (public)
Publicly signaled his intention to retire from full-time executive responsibilities (retirement planned for end of 2021).
Named Executive Chairman; Chapek named CEO
Iger moved into an Executive Chairman role to oversee creative endeavors as Bob Chapek became CEO (Feb 25, 2020).
Board extends Iger's mandate through 2021 (COVID-19)
Disney's board unexpectedly extended Iger's active mandate until the end of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joined board of Perfect Day (dairy-replacement startup)
Became a director of Perfect Day, an animal-free dairy protein startup.
Stepped down as Executive Chairman; formally retired
Formally retired from Disney on Dec 31, 2021; remained an advisor to his successor after exit.
Serves on nonprofit boards (9/11 Memorial & Museum, Bloomberg Philanthropies)
Company biography lists Iger as serving on the boards of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and Bloomberg Philanthropies (dates not specified).
Featured on TIME cover (TIME100 influence)
Featured on the cover of TIME as part of its annual 100 Most Influential People issue (2023 feature noted in company profile).
Joined board of Genies, Inc.
Accepted a board appointment at Genies, Inc. (March 2022).
Appointed Honorary KBE by Queen Elizabeth II
Appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for services to UK–US relations (Sept 2022).
Returned as CEO of The Walt Disney Company
At the request of Disney's board, Iger returned as CEO on Nov 20, 2022 after the dismissal of Bob Chapek.
2023 Pay package disclosed ($31.6M total)
Disney's proxy disclosed Iger's 2023 compensation: base salary $865,385; stock awards $16.1M; options $10M; performance pay $2.1M; other $2.48M; total $31.6M.
Public criticism for comments on WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes
Iger drew criticism in July 2023 for calling the writers' and actors' strikes 'not realistic' and 'disruptive', amid his high compensation disclosure.
Contract extended through end of 2026
Disney renewed and extended Iger's CEO contract to run until the end of 2026 (July 12, 2023 announcement).
Forbes estimates net worth over $700M
Forbes reports Bob Iger's estimated net worth as over $700 million (2024 estimate).
Awarded Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (France)
Awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur by French President Emmanuel Macron for service to France (April 2024).
Purchased majority stake in Angel City FC with wife ($100M)
Iger and wife Willow Bay agreed to take a majority stake in Angel City FC (NWSL) via a $100 million investment; Iger agreed to recuse from Disney/ESPN matters related to the league.
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Bob Iger and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
Peter Norvig
Born 1956 · Age 69
American computer scientist, co-author of 'Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach', long-time Google research leader, and Distinguished Education Fellow at Stanford's Institute for Human-Centered AI.
Meg Whitman
Born 1956 · Age 69
American business executive, diplomat and politician; long-time CEO of eBay (1998–2008) and Hewlett-Packard/Hewlett Packard Enterprise (2011–2018); 2010 Republican candidate for Governor of California; U.S. Ambassador to Kenya (2022–2024).
Guido van Rossum
Born 1956 · Age 69
Dutch programmer; creator of the Python programming language; former BDFL of Python; Distinguished Engineer at Microsoft.
Rob Pike
Born 1956 · Age 69
Canadian programmer and author; member of the Unix team at Bell Labs; contributor to Plan 9, Inferno, UTF-8; co-creator of Go; longtime Google engineer and author/co-author of influential books on programming.
Leo Laporte
Born 1956 · Age 69
American technology broadcaster, author, podcaster and entrepreneur; founder of the TWiT podcast network and longtime host of tech TV and radio shows including This Week in Tech and The Tech Guy.
Hal Finney
Born 1956 · Age 69
American computer scientist, cryptographer and cypherpunk; early PGP developer, inventor of reusable proof-of-work (RPoW), first recipient of a Bitcoin transaction, ALS patient and cryonics proponent.