A former Disneyland resort president and a contender to replace Bob Iger as CEO has been “squeezed out” of Disney’s executive suite amid 7,000 job cuts at the Burbank entertainment company.
Rebecca Campbell, who served as Disneyland resort president for less than a year, has decided to leave the Walt Disney Company just days after Iger announced massive job cuts during a quarterly earnings call with investors.
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Disney Parks chairman Josh D’Amaro said in a memo that the job cuts would impact the division — which includes Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
“As we determine our approach on achieving these savings, we will remain focused on delivering the best guest and consumer experiences and do not expect this to affect our hourly frontline operations roles,” D’Amaro wrote in the memo.
Campbell replaced D’Amaro as Disneyland resort president in September 2019 when D’Amaro moved to a similar role at Walt Disney World. Campbell was replaced in May 2020 by current Disneyland resort president Ken Potrock in an executive shuffle by then-new and since-fired Disney CEO Bob Chapek. D’Amaro became Disney Parks chairman during the shuffle.
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Campbell’s brief eight-month tenure at Disneyland included two months during the yearlong coronavirus closure of the park.
Campbell, chairman of Disney’s international content and operations, opted to leave as a result of Iger’s executive leadership reorganization, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The New York Times reported that Campbell was “squeezed out” in the latest executive shuffle.
“The respected Rebecca Campbell, a 26-year Disney vet who is tight with Iger (she’s been on the yacht) has been squeezed out, with her international content turf getting downsized and absorbed by other execs,” NYT Hollywood reporter Brooks Barnes posted on Twitter.
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Iger asked Campbell to remain at the company through June to help with the transition.
“She has been a truly valuable and trusted leader throughout her time here and I am grateful for her innumerable contributions to this company,” Iger wrote in a memo obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. “Over the years, I’ve worked with Rebecca in so many different roles, and beyond the meaningful impact she has had in each of them, I’ve always appreciated her willingness to take them on graciously, enthusiastically and with an impeccable degree of professionalism — wherever and whenever she was called to serve.”
Campbell was mentioned as a potential successor to Iger, who has been tasked with finding a new Disney CEO after the company fired Chapek.