Amid the corporate restructuring taking place at The Walt Disney Company following Bob Iger’s return as CEO, the latest executive to exit is Arthur Bochner, a close confidant of former CEO Bob Chapek.
What’s Happening:
- In a shock announcement on Sunday, November 20th, Bob Chapek was removed as CEO by the Board of Directors, and former CEO Bob Iger has returned to lead the company for the next two years.
- As confirmed by Variety, Arthur Bochner, a close confidant of Chapek, has left the company.
- Bochner’s exit likely doesn’t come as a surprise, as he was Chapek’s former speechwriter.
- Bochner had served as Chapek’s chief of staff until this past August, and was moved to a vice president of strategic communications position as Chapek continued to face mounting controversies.
- More recently, Bochner was behind Chapek’s remarks on Disney’s Q3 earnings call. Chapek’s performance on that call, and a follow-up memo to staff, is believed to have led to his eventual ouster by the Disney board.
- Bochner is the second high-profile Disney executive to depart following Iger’s return to the company, after Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution.
- Iger has stated that restructuring at Disney will begin “in the coming weeks.”