Bob Iger was born in Brooklyn in 1951 and built an early career at ABC, where he rose through the network's sports and entertainment operations. He joined Disney with the 1995 Capital Cities/ABC acquisition, became chief executive in 2005 and led the company for 15 years, presiding over the transformative acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox.
After a brief retirement he returned as chief executive in late 2022 with an explicit mandate to stabilize the company, recalibrate the cost base of its streaming operations and clarify the succession plan. His second tenure has involved a sharp focus on profitability of Disney+, an expanded leadership of ESPN and Hulu, and a multi-billion-dollar reinvestment programme in the parks and experiences division.
Iger remains one of the most studied corporate operators of his generation and his memoir 'The Ride of a Lifetime' has become a reference text on creative-business leadership.