The Walt Disney Co. said that senior executive VP and chief financial officer Christine McCarthy will step down to take a family medical leave of absence.
Disney said Kevin Lansberry, currently executive VP and CFO of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, will become interim CFO, effective July 1.
McCarthy will continue as a strategic adviser to the company while on leave. She will assist in identifying a new CFO and help with the transition.
“Christine McCarthy is one of the most admired financial executives in America, and her impact on The Walt Disney Company during 23 years of dedicated service cannot be overstated,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said.
“Christine has served as a key strategic anchor during a period of great transformation, and she and I have discussed her desire to ensure an orderly and successful CFO succession in advance of the company’s transition to its next chief executive officer,“ Iger said. “She is stepping down from her CFO role as she takes family medical leave, but has graciously offered to move into an advisory position to assist her successor in assuming the duties she has so expertly handled these many years.”
McCarthy, who has been with Disney since 2000, reportedly played a role in encouraging Disney’s board to oust CEO Bob Chapek, clearing the way for Iger to return to the company as CEO.
“I am immensely grateful for the opportunity Bob provided me to serve as CFO of this iconic company and am proud of the work my talented team has done to position Disney to capitalize on the business possibilities that lie ahead,” McCarthy said. “Although I am leaving the CFO role, I look forward to helping with the transition and will always be rooting for the success of my extended Disney family, who have shown time and again that determination, teamwork and the pursuit of excellence are an unstoppable combination.”
While Lansberry serves as interim CFO, Disney said it will be conducting a search of internal and external candidates to find a permanent replacement for McCarthy.
“Kevin has been with the company for more than three decades and is a trusted lieutenant to Christine,” Iger said. “Having expertly served as CFO at our largest business segment since 2017, he has my complete confidence, and I look forward to working with him during this transition.”
