DISNEY ELECTS FORMER P&G EXEC CHAIRMAN PEPPER TO SUCCEED MITCHELL.Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ Staff Writer BURBANK -- The Walt Disney Noun 1. Walt Disney - United States film maker who pioneered animated cartoons and created such characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; founded Disneyland (1901-1966) Disney, Walter Elias Disney Co.'s board of directors on Wednesday elected former Procter & Gamble Chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. John E. Pepper Jr. to serve as its new chairman after the retirement of Sen. George J. Mitchell at the end of the year. Pepper, 67, currently serves as CEO of the National Underground Railroad Underground Railroad, in U.S. history, loosely organized system for helping fugitive slaves escape to Canada or to areas of safety in free states. It was run by local groups of Northern abolitionists, both white and free blacks. Freedom Center. He was chairman and CEO of Procter & Gamble from 1995 to 2002, when he retired from the company after 38 years of service. From 2004 to 2006 he was vice president for finance and administration at Yale University Yale University, at New Haven, Conn.; coeducational. Chartered as a collegiate school for men in 1701 largely as a result of the efforts of James Pierpont, it opened at Killingworth (now Clinton) in 1702, moved (1707) to Saybrook (now Old Saybrook), and in 1716 was . ``In John's leadership of the board, Disney's shareholders will benefit from his notable record of success in leading and growing one of the world's largest consumer products companies,'' Disney President and CEO Robert A. Iger said in a statement. ``He is a man of great integrity and we all look forward to working with him in his new role.'' Pepper described himself as ``incredibly honored'' to be elected Disney chairman. ``I look forward to continuing my close collaboration with the directors and senior management as the company takes full advantage of the significant and exciting opportunities before us to grow and build our brands and businesses worldwide,'' he stated. Mitchell was named chairman of the board in March 2004 when Disney shareholders gave a devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. show of no confidence in Michael D. Eisner's leadership. Eisner was stripped of the chairman title but remained as CEO of the media and entertainment conglomerate until stepping down last year after two decades. The unprecedented shareholder rebellion was sparked by then-dissident former board members Roy E. Disney Roy Edward Disney, KCSG, (born January 10, 1930) was a longtime senior executive for The Walt Disney Company, which his father Roy Oliver Disney and his uncle Walt founded. and Stanley Gold Stanley P. Gold is the President and CEO of Shamrock Holdings, which manages Roy E. Disney's investments. He was a longtime member of the Walt Disney Company's board of directors (1984; 1987-2003), before he and Roy Disney resigned to publicly campaign to oust then Chairman Michael who have since reconciled with the company under Iger. The board had asked Mitchell to postpone post·pone tr.v. post·poned, post·pon·ing, post·pones 1. To delay until a future time; put off. See Synonyms at defer1. 2. To place after in importance; subordinate. his retirement until the end of the year in order to achieve an orderly chairman succession process. ``During the past year, the board undertook a very thoughtful and deliberative de·lib·er·a·tive adj. 1. Assembled or organized for deliberation or debate: a deliberative legislature. 2. Characterized by or for use in deliberation or debate. approach to the chairman-succession process,'' Mitchell said. ``With the election of John as chairman, Disney will benefit from his outstanding leadership skills and unique experience in cultivating global brands. It has been a true privilege for me to serve the shareholders of Disney and we will now begin a smooth transition with John.'' Iger paid tribute to Mitchell on Wednesday. ``I have had the distinct pleasure of working closely with Senator Mitchell for many years, both as a director and as chairman,'' Iger stated. ``He is an extraordinary leader with numerous and significant accomplishments both nationally and internationally.'' greg.hernandez@dailynews.com (818) 713-3758 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) John E. Pepper Jr. will succeed Sen. George J. Mitchell as chairman of Disney's board of directors. Spencer Platt/Getty Images |
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