Disney CEO Chapek, Iger's fiscal 2021 pay more than double YOY

Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek and his predecessor Bob Iger saw their fiscal 2021 pay packages more than double year over year, thanks largely to to cash bonuses.

Chapek, who became Disney's CEO in February 2020, received total compensation of about $32.5 million, according to a Jan. 19 proxy filing. The pay package included $2.5 million in salary, $10.2 million in stock awards, $3.8 million in option awards, and $14.3 million in nonequity incentive plan compensation. By comparison, Chapek's fiscal 2020 pay of about $14.2 million included a salary of roughly $1.8 million, stock and option awards worth $6.1 million and $3.4 million, respectively.

Iger was paid about $45.9 million in fiscal 2021. The former CEO, who became executive chairman until his departure in end-2021, received $3 million in salary, $9.5 million in stock awards, $9.3 million in option awards, and $22.9 million in nonequity incentive plan compensation. Iger's fiscal 2020 compensation package totaled about $21.0 million.

In fiscal 2020, Chapek, Iger and other top Disney executives did not receive cash bonuses. They also took pay cuts in fiscal 2020 to help weather the coronavirus pandemic's impact on the company's businesses.

Disney credited Chapek for his "strong performance" in fiscal 2021, having been able to manage pandemic-related disruptions to the company. It also noted Chapek's management guidance on direct-to-consumer projects, the related revamp of Disney's media and entertainment businesses, and the "meaningful and innovative steps" he took for the parks and experiences business.