Robert Iger, 71, will retake his role as CEO of Walt Disney Co. after the board of directors ousted its most recent leader, Bob Chapek.
Iger acted as Disney's CEO from 2015 to 2020. He initially left due to his wavering leadership, including "listening less and maybe with a little less tolerance of other people's opinions," according to an exclusive interview with CNBC.
Despite stating publicly that he didn't have plans to return to Disney, and focusing instead on investing and advising startups, he was brought back to lead the company through an adjustment period, according to a statement from chairman of the Disney board Susan Arnold.
"The board has concluded that as Disney embarks on an increasingly complex period of industry transformation, Bob Iger is uniquely situated to lead the company through this pivotal period," Arnold told the Wall Street Journal in a statement.
Iger takes the helm after a successful year for Disney's theme-park business: Parks revenue increased to $7.4 billion in the fourth quarter from $5.5 billion in the same quarter last year. However, he's tasked with improving Disney's streaming service content and strategy, according to the Wall Street Journal. In the most recent quarter, the streaming service lost $1.47 billion, which is more than double the loss from 2021.
Iger is one of a handful of boomerang CEOs who've returned to the companies they once ran. Here are four other CEOs who came back for a second act, listed in chronological order of their return.