Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday named Christine McCarthy as its chief financial officer, replacing James A. “Jay” Rasulo, who is leaving the company after being passed over as a successor to Chief Executive Robert Iger.
McCarthy has served as Disney’s corporate treasurer for 15 years. In her new job, she will oversee investor relations, corporate planning tax, treasury, real estate, facilities, integrated supply chain management and corporate citizenship
Rasulo, who joined the Burbank media and entertainment company in 1986, has been working without a contract since January. He said June 1 he was stepping down on June 30.
Iger, 63, appointed studio veteran Thomas Staggs as chief operating officer on Feb. 5, putting him next in line for the CEO job should Iger step down when his contract expires in June 2018, as is expected. Rasulo was the other internal executive widely thought to have a shot at replacing Iger, who became chief executive in 2005.
The company on Tuesday also named Kevin Mayer as chief strategy officer. Mayer has managed corporate strategy and business development at Disney, working on the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm. He previously worked at LEK Consulting LLC, where he was a partner and head of the global media and entertainment practice.
McCarthy will report directly to Iger, while Mayer will report jointly to Iger and Staggs.
In conjunction with the personnel shuffle, Disney announced Monday that it will combine its lagging Disney Interactive video game division with its highly profitable Disney Consumer Products division.
The new segment will be called Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media and will be jointly run by Leslie Ferraro, who has led the Consumer Products unit since May, and Jimmy Pitaro, chief of the Interactive unit. They will serve as co-chairs of the combined operation.
Shares rose $1.09, or 1 percent, to $114.14 on the New York Stock Exchange.