Bob Iger’s Return Engagement As Disney CEO Sees A Plot Twist In Abrupt Exit Of A Long-Tenured Lieutenant, CFO Christine McCarthy
16.06.2023 - 16:33
/ deadline.com
Earnings calls, those ritualized quarterly opportunities for public companies to convey the state of their financial affairs to Wall Street analysts and investors at large, are two-handed affairs for the Walt Disney Co.
Unlike other media companies, which stack their calls with three or more execs weighing in on various aspects of the business, Disney’s have featured only the CEO and the CFO for more than a decade. That focused approach has helped enlarge the profile of Christine McCarthy, who was promoted to CFO in 2015. The well-respected finance exec has articulated the strategy behind the company’s many strategic moves, including massive M&A bets, preparations for the launch of Disney+, dramatic adjustments during Covid and, most recently, sizable cost cuts and layoffs as well as the removal of streaming programming from Disney+ and Hulu.
In August, when Disney next reports earnings, the duo act will see its first change in many years, after McCarthy abruptly stepped down Thursday to take family medical leave. She will stay on the payroll for through mid-2024, serving as an advisor to help with the transition as longtime company veteran Kevin Lansberry becomes interim CFO and a permanent successor is chosen.
While the announcement came as a surprise to people outside and inside the company, it was accompanied by the customary tossing of semantic bouquets. CEO Bob Iger called McCarthy “one of the most admired financial executives in America,” saying her impact on the company during a 23-year run “cannot be overstated.” McCarthy said she will “always be rooting for the success of my extended Disney family.”
No details about the medical leave were given in the official announcement. Reports later emerged that
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