Susan Arnold | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1954-03-08)March 8, 1954 (age 71) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Executive |
| Employer | The Walt Disney Company |
| Title | Chairman |
| Term | 2021–2023 |
| Predecessor | Bob Iger (2012–2021) |
| Successor | Mark Parker (2023-2025) |
Susan E. Arnold (born March 8, 1954) is an Americanbusiness executive who formerly served as the chairman ofThe Walt Disney Company.
Arnold graduated from theUniversity of Pennsylvania with aBachelor of Arts degree, and from theUniversity of Pittsburgh with aMaster of Business Administration degree.[1]
Susan Arnold began her career as a brand assistant for the Dawn/Ivory Snow Group at Procter Gamble in 1980. In 1999, she assumed global responsibility for Procter & Gamble's beauty business, thereby becoming the first woman to reach a president-level position in the company.[2][3] She stepped down from her position at Procter & Gamble on September 1, 2009.[4]
Between 2013 and 2021, Arnold served as an operating executive ofThe Carlyle Group.[5] She is based in New York. Arnold has served on theboard of directors ofThe Walt Disney Company since 2007,[6] as well as the Carlyle portfolio investments companyNBTY, The Nature's Bounty Co. She has also been a member of the Board of Directors ofMcDonald's Co. since 2008. In 2004 she became Vice Chairman ofProcter & Gamble and President of the company in 2007.[7][8][9]
On December 1, 2021,[10][6] Arnold was appointed to replaceBob Iger as chair of the board atThe Walt Disney Company and became the first woman to be appointed to this position in the 98-year history of Disney.[11][12] She was elected chair on December 31, 2021.[13] On January 11, 2023, Disney announced that Arnold would no longer serve as the board's chair after the next annual shareholder meeting and would be replaced by former Nike CEOMark Parker.[14][15]
Arnold is openly lesbian.[16][17] Since 2002, she has been listed onFortune magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business as #7 in 2008. In 2004 and 2005, she was listed on theWall Street Journal's 50 Women to Watch. She was listed multiple times on the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful Women and in 2005 she was No. 16 onForbes'The World's 100 Most Powerful Women list. She served for several years on the executive committee ofCatalyst, a nonprofit organization working toward the advancement of women in business.[7][8] In June 2022, she was recognized by the International Hospitality Institute on the Global 100 in Hospitality as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality.[18]
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| Preceded by | Disney chairman 2021–2023 | Succeeded by |
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