Is This The Highest Contender For the Next CEO of the Walt Disney Company?

When Bob Iger abruptly returned to replace Bob Chapek as the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, many Disney fans immediately wondered what would happen next.

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As Iger began regaining his bearings and answering the public’s questions, it quickly became public knowledge that Bob Iger would serve as the Walt Disney Company’s chief executive officer for only two years.

This swiftly added an entirely new layer of speculation as the general public began asking yet another question: Who will replace Bob Iger after his two years with Disney are up? We may finally have an answer.

The latest rumors are pointing toward the Walt Disney Company’s chief financial officer, Christine McCarthy, as the top contender for the next CEO.

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Part of what makes this situation so interesting is the role McCarthy played in Bob Chapek’s removal. Reportedly, Christine McCarthy went to the chairwoman of the Walt Disney Company, Susan Arnold, and threatened to resign if Bob Chapek wasn’t ousted right away.

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McCarthy became the CFO of the Walt Disney Company in 2015 after devoting 15 years as the company’s treasurer. This means she’s been present in the company during Bob Iger’s first run as CEO. In order to avoid another Chapek situation, Iger has to pick somebody who has what it takes to lead the company relatively quickly.

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If Christine McCarthy were appointed to take Bob Iger’s place as chief executive officer, it would make Disney history. She’d be the first female CEO in Disney’s nearly 100 years of operation.

But will she emerge as the next chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Company? Only time will tell.