Fairytale appointment for first female Disney CFO

DISNEY has appointed Christine McCarthy as CFO and senior executive vice president.

McCarthy, who is the company’s first female CFO, previously held the role of executive vice president, corporate real estate, alliances and treasurer at Walt Disney. Her responsibilities included the management of functions such as corporate finance and capital markets.

She takes over from Jay Rasulo, who will remain at the company for an unknown period as advisor to CEO Robert Iger, and according to a Disney SEC filing, will receive his “current salary”. In her new role, McCarthy will oversee investor relations, corporate planning and control and tax among others.

Before joining Disney, McCarthy was executive vice president and CFO of Imperial Bancorp and elected as executive vice president in finance for First Interstate. She has represented Disney on the FM Global board since 2010.

Of her appointment, McCarthy said: “I am humbled and honoured to be entrusted with the role of CFO of this incredibly dynamic company.”

“Under Bob’s leadership, Disney has delivered record results, and I look forward to working with our talented senior management team as we build on the company’s financial strength and strong balance sheet to develop shareholder value.”

CEO Iger commented: “Christine has done an incredible job as Disney’s treasurer over the past 15 years, and her strong leadership and keen financial acumen make her an ideal chief financial officer.”

The positional change is not isolated, as Kevin Mayer is been appointed as Disney’s senior executive vice president and chief strategy officer. Mayer served as executive vice president of corporate strategy and business development for ten years.