The Walt Disney Company has announced that Bob Chapek has been named Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, effective immediately. Chapek replaces Tom Staggs, who was recently promoted to Chief Operating Officer, The Walt Disney Company. Chapek has been with Disney for 22 years; since 2011, he has held the position of President of Disney Consumer Products.
Bob Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Under Bob’s leadership, Consumer Products has seen great success, focusing on brands and a franchise-driven strategy while launching new products and retail experiences that combine technological innovation and creativity. He is an experienced and versatile executive well-suited to lead Parks and Resorts into the future.”
Staggs said, “Bob is stepping into this role at an incredibly dynamic and exciting time for our Parks and Resorts business. The ongoing construction of Shanghai Disney Resort as well as the new Avatar-themed land at Walt Disney World continues an era of unprecedented growth and historic expansion.”
Chapek said, “I am grateful for the many opportunities I have had during my years at Disney, and am thrilled to join the incredible Disney Parks organization. I look forward to working with the remarkably talented team dedicated to creating magical memories for millions of guests around the world.”
Chapek has a degree in Microbiology from Indiana University Bloomington and an MBA from Michigan State University. He worked in brand management at H.J. Heinz Company and in advertising at J. Walter Thompson before joining Disney in 1993. From 2009-2011, he was President of Distribution for The Walt Disney Studios and oversaw “the Studios’ overall content distribution strategy across multiple platforms including theatrical exhibition, home entertainment, pay TV, digital entertainment and new media.” While President of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, he began the “Disney vault” program and was instrumental in the switchover from DVD to Bu-ray as the primary form of home entertainment.
His replacement has not yet been named.
News source/photo credit: The Walt Disney Company
Leah grew up in a little farming town in Illinois, right on the Mississippi River. Her Chicago-born husband, David, left the city for her, and they're now raising their three children (Jacob, Jonah and Lydia) just 12 miles from her hometown. As the Senior Editor of the DIS (wdwinfo.com), Leah spends a lot of time writing about, reading about, and discussing Disney. So, it should come as no surprise that one of her family's favorite ways to spend time is going to Walt Disney World and traveling on Disney Cruise Line. She also enjoys shopping, watching movies with her husband and doing crafts with and for her kids.
