Even to those who have worked closely with Robert Iger, the Walt Disney Co. chief executive is something of an enigma -- "easy to like but hard to get to know," in the words of one former senior officer.
Since ascending to the top a year ago last week, Iger has kept an unusually low profile, a relatively tricky task at an entertainment icon whose leaders have been household names for nearly all of its 83 years.
In his short tenure, Iger has amassed goodwill by patching up feuds he inherited from his predecessor, Michael Eisner.
Yet he has limited his public exposure to carefully selected events, such as being honored last week at UCLA's Millennium Ball. He has turned down most interview requests, including one for this story, and in June canceled on 24 hours' notice without explanation a speech to the power elite of Los Angeles that was to have been his local coming-out party.
Contrast that to Eisner, who was easy to know, harder to like. He penned two autobiographies, hosted Disney television shows and became a fixture on such TV programs as "Charlie Rose." At the same time, Eisner's abrasive micromanagement polarized investors and left him unpopular with a large swath of his own company.
"Bob is very modest about his abilities and instincts -- which in fact are very, very good," said DreamWorks Animation Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, one of many Disney leaders who departed after disagreements with Eisner. "He is way less engaged in the trappings and public persona than he is in really providing leadership."
Such reluctance to take center stage is rare among CEOs, especially in Hollywood, where many get caught up in their celebrity. And Iger has a lot to crow about, having overseen a dramatic turnaround in the company's financial and stock performance. But Iger is determined to avoid Eisner's fate as a big target for company critics.
"He's just smartly decided that people should focus on the company and not on him," said Rich Frank, a former top Disney executive and now co-chairman of the Firm, a management company.
As Disney's president, Iger was Eisner's second in command for five years and had the best seat in the house to view the downside of being a CEO whose name is synonymous with the company's.
Eisner's persona served Disney well after he took over a troubled operation in 1984, putting a public face on the company and sending a message that he was the fun-loving leader of a creative team that would restore the kingdom's magic.
