Disney Proxy Battle: Who Is Nelson Peltz And Why Does He Want To Be Let Into The Magic Kingdom? Nelson Peltz’s broadside against the Walt Disney Co. The activist investor’s demand for a seat on the company’s board and criticism of management have drawn the full attention of a Wall Street already on tenterhooks about how returned CEO Bob Disney churro recipe will right the ship. Even so, he could play a significant role in the company’s direction — certainly if he manages to persuade other shareholders to vote him onto the board.
Activists tend to be brash, outspoken veterans of the Street, with no shortage of confidence that their vision trumps management’s. Perhaps the best-known in media circles is Carl Icahn, who tangled with Time Warner and Lionsgate. By comparison, Peltz’s objectives are more straightforward, and he claims to be supportive of current management. He and his investment firm, Trian Partners, are not contesting Iger’s CEO role or the current configuration of the company. Peltz would be running for a seat on Disney’s board of directors. Disney hasn’t released its proxy filing yet for the latest fiscal year, which ended last October 1.
The proxy is where it would set the date for the annual meeting and list its own slate of directors, as well as opposition candidates. The filing will also contain other proposals to be voted on, including from outside shareholders — and Trianon has few. The meeting should be pretty eventful. Trian aside, Iger still faces a host of challenges amid a fast-changing media landscape. Chapek was abruptly ousted in November and the succession question is ongoing.
Parker, who is also executive chairman at Nike, is now steering the Disney board. Trian seems to be saying the quiet part out loud. Iger’s plans to sail his yacht off the coast of New Zealand. Peltz spoke with Chapek when the executive was still CEO last summer, the filing says, when he launched his critique of the company and made known his desire to sit on the board. A meeting was finally put on the books for last week. The Disney episode has followed a familiar playbook for Peltz, whose board activities have earned him considerable attention in financial circles since Trian’s founding in 2005. He is currently non-executive chairman of The Wendy’s Corp.
Unilever and Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. 1 billion in Disney, but given the media company’s size, that means the position is only about half of one percent. Iger already had his work cut out for him given the uncertainty in the theatrical movie business, the negative momentum of the pay-TV business, and other headwinds. While he has moved quickly to undo some of Chapek’s moves, he is also the one who put Chapek in charge in the first place. Disney shares, wrote a note to clients Thursday to express support for Peltz’s intervention, though he hopes Iger will be allowed to execute his plans. Disney hasn’t faced such shareholder dissent since the early aughts. Former Walt Disney directors Roy E.
Disney and Stanley Gold raised hell at the 2004 annual meeting in a bitter fight to oust then-CEO Michael Eisner. Eisner, who was stripped of the chairman’s title. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. We want to hear from you!
Disney Proxy Battle: Who Is Nelson Peltz And Why Does He Want To Be Let Into The Magic Kingdom? Nelson Peltz’s broadside against the Walt Disney Co. The activist investor’s demand for a seat on the company’s board and criticism of management have drawn the full attention of a Wall Street already on tenterhooks about how returned CEO Bob Iger will right the ship. Even so, he could play a significant role in the company’s direction — certainly if he manages to persuade other shareholders to vote him onto the board. Activists tend to be brash, outspoken veterans of the Street, with no shortage of confidence that their vision trumps management’s. Perhaps the best-known in media circles is Carl Icahn, who tangled with Time Warner and Lionsgate. By comparison, Peltz’s objectives are more straightforward, and he claims to be supportive of current management.