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- Disney CEO Bob Iger announced on Wednesday that Bob Chapek will succeed him, effective immediately.
- Chapek, who has worked at Disney for 27 years, went on family vacations to Walt Disney World as a child.
- As president of consumer products, he focused on franchises and technology and pioneered new forms of distribution.
- While in charge of Disney's parks, he opened Shanghai Disney Resort and introduced the "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" land.
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Disney CEO Bob Iger made the surprise announcement on Wednesday that Bob Chapek will succeed him, effective immediately.
Chapek, one of the entertainment titan's veteran executives, will oversee its sprawling operations. They include the ABC and ESPN television networks, Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks, and Disney Stores. Disney also acquired 21st Century Fox last year, bringing the 20th Century Fox movie and TV studios along with cable channels such as FX under the company's wing.
Disney also owns Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm, meaning its movie credits span in-house studio hits such as "Frozen" as well as "Toy Story 3" "Avengers: Endgame," and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Iger has taken the role of executive chairman to focus on Disney's creative output .
Here are five things to know about Chapek:
