• Edward H. Bastian, former senior vice president of finance and controller during his six years with Delta Air Lines, returned to the Atlanta-based company to become executive vice president and chief financial officer. Bastian rejoins Delta from Acuity Brands Inc., where he signed on as CFO only last month after leaving the airline. He replaces Michael J. Palumbo, who is resigning “to pursue other opportunities.”
• American International Group Inc. named Robert S. Schimek as senior vice president and chief financial officer of its Domestic Brokerage Group. He will report to Kristian P. Moor, AIG executive vice president of domestic general insurance, and to AIG finance chief Steven J. Bensinger. Schimek, who was a partner a Deloitte & Touche, succeeds Robert P. Jacobson, who was named AIG vice president of strategic planning.
• The Interpublic Group named Frank Mergenthaler executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective August 1. Mergenthaler joins the New York-based advertising group from direct marketer Columbia House Co., where he was executive vice president and CFO. He has also held the positions of senior vice president and deputy CFO at Vivendi Universal as well as senior vice president and chief accounting officer at The Seagram Co. Mergenthaler succeeds Robert Thompson, who is leaving the company.
• Technology-focused media company CNET Networks Inc. appointed George E. Mazzotta chief financial officer. Mazzotta joins the San Francisco-based company from Gap Inc., where he served as senior vice president and chief operating officer of International Gap Inc., and earlier, as Gap’s senior vice president of finance. He succeeds Doug Woodrum, who has been CNET Networks’s executive vice president and CFO since 1997. Woodrum plans to pursue other opportunities within the company.
• Bellevue, Washington-based travel service Expedia Inc., soon to be spun off from IAC/InterActiveCorp., named Mark Gunning chief financial officer. Gunning, a former senior vice president of finance for AT&T Wireless, has also worked for Nextlink Communications, Airtouch Communications, and Price Waterhouse.
• Terence Tsang rejoined clothing retailer Guess Inc. as senior vice president of corporate business development, a newly created position. Tsang was previously executive vice president, chief financial officer, chief accounting officer, and treasurer of Ashworth Inc. since 2000. From 1992 to 2000 Tsang worked at Guess in roles including vice president of finance, corporate controller, and treasurer.
• Minneapolis-based PepsiAmericas Inc. promoted Sara Zawoyski to vice president of investor relations, reporting to chief financial officer Alex Ware. Zawoyski was previously director of financial reporting and compliance for PepsiAmericas. She joined the Pepsi bottler in 2002.
• Boston Life Sciences Inc. named Pamela McDonough corporate controller, a role she most recently filled at Aderis Pharmaceuticals. She also held positions at the public accounting firms of Canby, Maloney & Co. and Ziner & Co. She will report to recently appointed chief financial officer Ken Rice.
• Seattle-based Coastal Hotel Group named Peter LaFemina chief financial officer. LaFemina joins Coastal from a private, Las Vegas-based consulting practice concentrating in project finance, development, and analysis, where he was director. His previous positions include CFO for a publicly traded gaming and entertainment company, vice president of finance for Harrah’s Las Vegas Resort & Casino, and CFO of the Sheraton Desert Inn Resort & Casino.
• Juniper Bank, a Wilmington, Delaware-based credit-card issuer and a member of Barclays Group, named Richard Sommers chief financial officer. Sommers had been the finance chief for Barclaycard for the past four years; earlier, he worked in CFO positions in Barclaycard’s global retail financial services and merchant divisions. He joined Barclays Bank’s management development program in 1978.
• School bus provider Laidlaw International Inc. promoted chief financial officer Douglas A. Carty from senior vice president to executive vice president. At Laidlaw Education Services, a subsidiary of the Naperville, Illinois-based company, chief financial officer John Miller was promoted from vice president to senior vice president.