Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman Says He Will Help Choose Bob Iger’s Successor as Disney CEO

Morgan Stanley CEO and recently appointed member of The Walt Disney Company’s board of directors James Gorman said in an interview that he will provide assistance in selecting the eventual successor to Bob Iger as Disney CEO.

  • Gorman told CNBC that Disney is creating a succession committee to plan for the eventual retirement of current Disney CEO Bob Iger.
    • “Disney is forming a succession committee, which I’ll be joining. I don’t start as a director until February. But I have an enormous amount of experience having run succession here on Morgan Stanley’s board.”
  • Gorman is scheduled to step down at Morgan Stanley CEO at the start of the year and will join the Disney board on February 5, 2024.
  • The selection of Gorman to the board of directors followed a lengthy and comprehensive search that began in April 2023.
  • Gorman, along with Sir Jeremy Darroch, a veteran media executive and former Group Chief Executive of Sky, were appointed to the board at the end of November.

More on James P. Gorman:

  • James Gorman became Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Stanley in January 2010 and Chairman in January 2012, and he will assume the role of Executive Chairman on January 1, 2024. He joined the firm in February 2006 and was named Co-President in December 2007.
  • Before joining Morgan Stanley, Gorman held executive positions at Merrill Lynch.
  • As CEO and Chairman of Morgan Stanley, Gorman has an established record driving strategic transformation of a global financial institution with a long-term sustainable business model.
  • Gorman has successfully executed innovative technological strategies leading the acquisition and integration of online trading platform E-Trade, and will provide key perspectives as Disney leverages technology to advance its strategy.
  • Through his roles at Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and as former President of the Federal Advisory Council to the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, Gorman also brings deep finance management, investment and fiduciary expertise evaluating businesses.
  • Gorman earned a bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of Melbourne and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.
Mike Mack
Mack is the Editorial Director for Marvel and ESPN content and he has covered comic cons, theme park events, video game showcases and other fun events. He is a fan of theme parks, sports, movies, Marvel Comics and is a self-proclaimed "nerd."