• General Motors Corp. chief financial officer John Devine, whose five-year contract expires this month, is being replaced by Frederick “Fritz” Henderson, effective January 1. Devine joined GM with much fanfare in December 2000 after having retired from Ford Motor Co. as an executive vice president and CFO the previous year; he will stay on for up to one year as vice chairman.
Henderson, currently chairman of GM Europe and a group vice president, will take over as GM’s vice chairman and chief financial officer, He joined the treasurer’s office in 1984. After holding a variety of management positions there, at the company’s former Delphi unit, and at finance division GMAC, Henderson served as president and managing director of GM do Brasil from 1997 to 2000; president of GM Latin America, Africa, and Mideast from 2000 to 2002; and president of GM Asia Pacific from 2002 to 2004. He has been in charge of GM Europe since June 2004.
• Exelon Corp. announced that executive vice president of finance and markets John F. Young will take the additional role of chief financial officer. Young will fill a position that opened when Barry Mitchell was named president of Commonwealth Edison last week. Chicago-based Exelon also announced that vice president of investor relations Michael R. Metzner will assume the additional role of treasurer.
• Houston-based Group 1 Automotive Inc. announced that senior vice president, chief financial officer, and treasurer Robert T. Ray will leave the company to pursue other interests, effective December 15. Ray joined the specialty retailer in May 2004. He will be succeeded by John C. Rickel, who previously served as controller of Ford Americas, a unit of Ford Motor Co., and as CFO of Ford Europe. Group 1 also announced that vice president of finance H. Clifford Buster will be promoted to vice president and treasurer, reporting to Rickel.
• Global relocation services provider Sirva Inc. announced the appointment of J. Michael Kirksey as chief financial officer, effective December 13. He succeeds Ronald L. Milewski, who will become executive vice president of the Westmont, Illinois-based business, which is best known for the Allied and northAmerican moving companies. Previously, Kirksey served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Input/Output Inc. and as CEO and CFO of Metals USA Inc. He began his career with Arthur Andersen, where he worked for 13 years.
• American Media Inc., the publisher of The National Enquirer, named Carlos A. Abaunza senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective January 16. Abaunza most recently served as vice president of strategic planning for Knight Ridder’s Miami Herald, and before that, as Knight Ridder’s vice president and corporate controller. Earlier, Abaunza was treasurer and CFO of World Fuel Services Corp.
• Film studio DreamWorks Animation SKG has tapped former Bank of America chief financial officer Lewis Coleman as president. Coleman will step down as the audit-committee chairman and a board member for the Glendale, California-based company so it can maintain a majority of independent directors. Karl von der Heyden, former vice chairman and CFO of PepsiCo and a recently elected board member, will now chair the audit committee.
• Alan Price was named senior vice president of finance and operations of Sony Music Label Group U.S., reporting to chief executive officer Don Ienner, president and chief operating officer Michele Anthony, and Sony BMG chief financial officer Kevin Kelleher. Last year, Price was promoted from his role as senior vice president of finance for the Sony Music Label Group; previously, he was senior vice president of finance for Sony Music. He joined the company in 1991 as a financial analyst.
• Swiss chemicals giant Clariant appointed Patrick Jany chief financial officer, effective January 1. Jany is currently Clariant’s head of corporate development with responsibility for group strategy and mergers and acquisitions. He succeeds Francois Note, who is leaving to pursue other opportunities.
• David M. Mulder resigned as executive vice president, chief administrative officer, and senior financial officer of household electronics manufacturer Salton Inc. to pursue other interests. Vice president of finance William M. Lutz was promoted to chief financial officer of the Lake Forest, Illinois-based company.
• OutlookSoft Corp., a provider of corporate performance management software, named Mike Manto executive vice president and chief financial officer. Manto joins the Stamford, Connecticut-based company from VitalWorks Inc. (now known as Amicas Inc.), a software company for radiology practices, where he was a director, executive vice president, and CFO. From 1991 to 2000, Manto worked for Hyperion Solutions Corp. as vice president and corporate controller.
• Nevada Gold & Casinos Inc. announced that Alan Jay Greenstein has been appointed senior vice president and chief financial officer. Greenstein has been part of the operating team at Mohegan Sun Casino for the past ten years, most recently as senior vice president and chief financial officer.
• San Jose, California-based Avago Technologies Inc., the world’s largest privately held semiconductor company, has hired Mercedes Johnson as chief financial officer. Most recently, Johnson worked for Lam Research Corp., serving for seven years as senior vice president of finance and CFO.
• Rewards Network Inc. has promoted Christopher J. Locke to senior vice president and chief financial officer. In May, Locke joined the Chicago-based provider of rewards programs to the restaurant industry as senior vice president of business planning, analysis, and assurance. Since 2003, he had served as CFO of WS Telecom Acquisition Corp./Wan Technologies. Locke succeeds Kenneth R. Posner, who resigned to pursue other interests.
• William A. McDonnell resigned as senior vice president and chief financial officer of rent-to-own chain Rent-Way Inc. to accept a CFO position with a privately held company. John Lombardi, the vice president, controller, and chief accounting officer of the Erie, Pennsylvania-based company, will serve as interim finance chief.
• Wells Fargo & Co. executive vice president and corporate development director John Ganoe will retire in March 2006 after 23 years with the company. Bruce Helsel, a 20-year company veteran, will succeed Ganoe as head of corporate development, reporting to chief financial officer Howard Atkins.