In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Co-Chair of Disney Media Networks Anne Sweeney revealed that she will be leaving Disney by the end of the year. She has been with Disney for 18 years. Bob Iger is currently searching for a successor. Some excerpts from the interview that also included Bob Iger:
Specifically, what is it you want to do?
Sweeney: I have a lot to learn. But I would like to learn to be a director because I know I am not a writer and I am not an actor. And for the countless times I’ve been on our sets, that makes me a set visitor, that does not make me a director or a producer. So this is the place I intend to start. And I know I have a lot of shadowing to do. I have a lot of learning.
If you’d been asked to replace Bob Iger when he leaves in 2016, would we be having this conversation?
Sweeney: That wasn’t a job I wanted to pursue. I know what drives me. I have seen firsthand what [the job] is and he has done it in the most spectacular way. What drives me now is getting closer to or being immersed in the creative process.
What about succession?
Sweeney: It will be Bob’s call. If you know Disney, you know that we are very organized and we have succession plans.
Iger: Anne has been consulted and she will continue to be. It will ultimately be my decision, but she’ll definitely be my partner. We have considerable talent in the company and I am convinced that we have the talent to replace Anne. There will be a fairly steep learning curve because it represents a big group. Whoever gets the job will represent big growth in terms of level of responsibility, number of moving parts, exposure to the inside world from a different constituent than to the outside world.