• H&R Block has hired Alan Bennett, the former CFO of Aetna, as its interim CEO. He retired from Aetna earlier this year after six years as CFO and time served as controller and head of internal audit. He is currently the audit committee chairman of Halliburton Co. and a director of The TJX Cos.
• Ahold CFO John Rishton has risen to CEO of the Dutch food services company. He has been the acting chief executive since July. He previously worked at British Airway and Ford Motor. Deputy chief financial officer Kimberly Ross was promoted to fill Rishton’s vacated slot. Ross joined Ahold in 2001 as assistant treasurer. She previously worked for Ernst & Young and Joseph E. Seagram & Sons.
• James O’Reardon Jr. has retired as CFO of Russ Berrie and Co. after 16 years with the gift company. Chief administrative officer Tony Cappiello will serve as acting principal financial officer until the company appoints a new finance chief. Cappiello has been with Russ Berrie for the past two years after working at Waterford & Wedgwood U.S.A. as chief operating officer and CFO.
• Tony Massetti has resigned as CFO of QLogic Corp. after five years to take on the same job at NCR Corp. He will join NCR, a technology company, in January after announcing QLogic’s third-quarter earnings. QLogic, which supplies storage-networking solutions, is searching for Massetti’s replacement. Five-year QLogic veteran Doug Naylor, vice president of finance, will take over daily financial-management duties in between Massetti’s departure and his successor’s hiring. At NCR, corporate controller Bob Fishman has been acting as CFO. Massetti has also worked at IBM, Aurum Solutions Ltd., and Sandisk Corp.
• David Buckel has resigned as CFO of Internap Network Services Corp. to pursue other interests in the private equity markets. He will stay with the Internet software company during a transition period. Tamara Augustyn, vice president of finance and chief accountant, has assumed the role of the company’s principal accounting officer. She has been with the company since 2004.
• Watson Pharmaceuticals has appointed Mark Durand as senior vice president and CFO. He previously was CFO of Teva Pharmaceuticals. He also held a number of positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb, including vice president of its U.S. pharmaceutical group.
• David Sonksen will retire as executive vice president and CFO of Microsemi Corp. in April after 20 years with the semiconductor manufacturer. Treasurer John Hohener will take his place. Hohener has been with Microsemi for nearly two years. He previously worked at Western Digital Corp. and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
• CFO Stephen Galliker has told his employer, Dyax Corp., that he plans to retire by the end of the first quarter of 2008. He will continue to help Dyax as a consultant during the transition and to help find his replacement. He has been with the bio-therapeutics company since 1999.
• Directed Electronics Inc. has named Kevin Duffy chief financial officer, effective immediately. His predecessor, Ron Dutt, has resigned to pursue other opportunities, the company said. Duffy previously held positions with Bain & Co., Deloitte & Touche, and Clarion Corporation of America.
• Shoe Pavilion Inc. has appointed Michael McHugh as executive vice president and CFO. He previously was CFO of J. Crew Group and Authentic Fitness Inc.