Susan Arnold elected to Disney BoD's

Televisionpoint.com Correspondent
The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors today elected Susan E. Arnold, vice chairman-P&G Beauty & Health, The Procter & Gamble Company, as a new independent director.

"Under Susan's leadership, the beauty and health business segment of Procter & Gamble has seen impressive growth, delivering sales of nearly $29 billion dollars in fiscal 2006, Her distinguished ability and track-record in strategy development, innovation and brand building will be great assets to the Disney board." said Disney chairman John E. Pepper, Jr.

"Susan's expertise in connecting with consumers and in producing consistent growth from a broad portfolio of brands fits perfectly with our strategic objective of utilizing Disney's great creative strengths to build our brands and businesses globally," added Disney president and CEO Robert A. Iger.

Arnold, 53, became in 2004 the first woman to be named a vice chairman at P&G. She leads P&G Beauty and Health, which includes the company's global beauty portfolio, oral care, personal health and pharmaceutical businesses.

"As the number one family entertainment brand, Disney has an amazing reputation for quality, creativity and innovation, I am both honored and incredibly enthusiastic to join the board of Disney, a company that means so much to so many people the world over." said Arnold.

Arnold joined P&G in 1980 and held a number of marketing and management positions before becoming category manager of P&G's cosmetics business in Canada in 1990. In 1999, she was the first woman to reach a president-level position at P&G when she assumed global responsibility for the company's personal beauty business.

Arnold has been listed in Fortune Magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business since 2002 and the Wall Street Journal's 50 Women to Watch in 2004 and 2005. She has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. She is on the executive committee of Catalyst, the leading research and advisory organization working with businesses and the professions to expand workplace diversity and opportunities for women.

With the addition of Arnold, the Walt Disney Company board consists of 12 members, nine of whom are independent.

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with four business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment and consumer products.