Disney's Parks Chief Emerges as Contender to Succeed Iger
- Division head has overseen Shanghai debut, new attractions
- Replacement sought as Iger scheduled to retire in 19 months
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At the ceremony to break ground last year on a new Toy Story Land in Shanghai, Walt Disney Co.’s Bob Iger was beaming. To his right, and dressed similarly in a black sweater, was the man who could very well take his place as chief executive officer: Bob Chapek.
Shanghai Disneyland went on to exceed 11 million visitors in its first year. That was a big boost for Chapek, who has delivered steady returns as head of the parks and resorts division. In Disney’s fiscal year-end results announced Nov. 9, Chapek’s business was the only one of four major units to post an increase in sales and profit.