The Walt Disney Company CEO Joins Instagram and Shares 50 Years of Service Award. Disney CEO Bob Iger has been honored with the company’s 50-year Service Award.
The award includes bronze statuettes of Snow White and the seven dwarfs—Doc, Sneezy, Grumpy, Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, and Dopey—from the 1937 Disney animated film, with the inscription, “Recognizing 50 magical years with the Walt Disney Company.”
Although Iger has officially worked for Disney only since 1995, the year the company acquired Capital Cities/ABC, Inc., the award recognizes his start date at ABC in 1974 as a production assistant (when ABC was owned by American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres). Iger shared an image of the Disney Service Award on Instagram on Monday, writing, “I started my career at ABC 50 years ago today and the business has certainly changed a lot since then! But at the end of the day, success still hinges on one thing: great storytelling. I’m proud to work alongside so many talented colleagues who create exceptional stories and experiences for the world to enjoy… truly the ride of a lifetime!”
Iger’s official Disney role began in 1996 when he served as chairman of the Disney-owned ABC Group. In 1999, he was promoted to president of Walt Disney International and later served as Disney’s president and COO from 2000 to 2005.
Iger first served as CEO of the Walt Disney Company from 2005 to 2020, overseeing the acquisitions of Pixar in 2006, Marvel in 2009, and Lucasfilm in 2012. He then served as executive chairman and chairman of the board in 2021 before retiring from the company in December of that year. In November 2022, he returned to Disney as its CEO.
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Since returning as CEO, Mr. Iger has led a significant, enterprise-wide transformation to restore creativity to the center of the company and position Disney’s streaming business for sustained growth and profitability. During his more than 15 years at the helm of Disney, Mr. Iger has served as steward of the world’s most respected and beloved brands. His strategic vision focuses on three fundamental pillars: generating the best creative content possible; fostering innovation and utilizing the latest technology; and expanding into new markets across the globe.
Widely recognized as one of the world’s most consequential business leaders, Mr. Iger has built on Disney’s rich history of unforgettable storytelling with the acquisitions of Pixar (2006), Marvel (2009), Lucasfilm (2012), and 21st Century Fox (2019); the landmark opening of Disney’s first theme park and resort in mainland China, Shanghai Disney Resort; and the release of a number of record-setting films, including Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame, Disney’s Frozen and Frozen 2, and Marvel’s groundbreaking Black Panther. Always one to embrace new technology, Mr. Iger made Disney an industry leader through its creative content offerings across multiple new platforms, including the highly successful launch of the Disney+ streaming service in November 2019.