USA: NIKE Executive Mark Parker to Be Named Chairman of The Walt Disney Company
Mark G. Parker (photo), former CEO and current executive chairman of the foot- and sportswear company NIKE and also a board member of The Walt Disney Company since 2016, is said to become the new chairman of the Disney board. He will officially take on this position after the conclusion of this year’s shareholder meeting, which is scheduled to take place shortly. Parker will thus succeed Susan Arnold, who at the end of 2021 became the first female chairperson in the company’s history and whose tenure is now coming to an end. In addition, Parker will chair a newly created succession planning committee, which will advise the board on CEO succession planning (recently, the former Disney CEO Bob Iger had surprisingly returned to the helm of the company).
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as Disney’s Chairman, and I look forward to working closely with Bob and his management team on a strategy of growth that balances investment with profitability, while preserving Disney’s core mission of creative excellence, to deliver shareholder value. At the same time, it is the top priority of mine and the Board’s to identify and prepare a successful CEO successor, and that process has already begun,” says Mark Parker.
Susan Arnold adds, “Mark Parker is an incredibly well-respected leader who over seven years as a Disney director has helped the company effectively navigate through a time of unprecedented change. During his four decades at NIKE, Mark has led one of the world’s most recognized consumer brands through various market evolutions and a successful CEO transition, and he is uniquely positioned to chair the Disney Board during this period of transformation.”
After the upcoming annual meeting of shareholders and the official elections, the Disney Board is expected to consist of the following members: Mary T. Barra, Safra A. Catz, Amy L. Chang, Francis A. deSouza, Carolyn Everson, Michael B.G. Froman, Robert A. Iger, Maria Elena Lagomasino, Calvin R. McDonald, Mark G. Parker and Derica W. Rice. (eap)
