Entertainment giant Walt Disney has appointed a woman as its chairperson for the first time in its nine-decade history.
67-year-old Susan Arnold, who has been with Disney for over a decade as a board member, will succeed Bob Ibger at the end of 2021.
Susan has held positions in the consumer goods and food sectors.
A first in the company’s 98-year-old history, the decision follows the trend of large companies separating the roles of chairpersons and chief executives.
The appointment of Susan will be a shot in the arm, among more efforts to attain gender parity in the entertainment industry. With a push for inclusion and diversity following the #MeToo movement a few years ago, there has been a simultaneous churn to have more women studio executives, producers, and channel bosses, as per industry reports in the international media.
However, concerns remain about the lack of representation of women in C-suite roles.
Closer to home, in India, there has been a steady rise in women channel bosses and producers from the time Ekta Kapoor set the trend of women heading media houses over two decades ago. In the South, there are names like Radhika Sarathkumar showing the way.
