Disney Chairman Quashed Negative Iger Report

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co. Chairman George Mitchell quashed a negative evaluation last year of then-Chief Operating Officer Robert Iger, while Disney was searching for a replacement for the outgoing CEO Michael Eisner, according to a report in the New York Post. The newspaper, citing sources familiar with the matter, said the evaluation, conducted by executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles, was never brought to the board of directors. A Disney spokeswoman was not immediately reachable for comment, but The New York Post quoted a spokeswoman as saying the report was "categorically untrue." At the time, the board was under pressure from dissident shareholders led by Roy Disney who claimed the search for Eisner's replacement was not thorough. Iger was ultimately named CEO and Roy Disney buried the hatchet with the company his uncle founded.