With CFOs switching employers more often, our CFOs on the Move column was busy this year accounting for all the changes. The following entries cover some of the most noteworthy departures and arrivals in 2023. In 2024, we expect more of the same.
To keep up with CFO moves throughout the year, be sure to subscribe to CFO’s The Balance Newsletter.
Jamie Miller | PayPal
On November 1, digital payments giant PayPal named Jamie Miller as its new finance chief. Miller was most recently global CFO of accounting firm EY for about six months, resigning in June after the firm canceled its plan to spin off its consulting business, the division Miller was planning to lead. Miller joined EY from the agricultural company Cargill, where she became the company’s first female chief financial officer in June 2021. Before that, she worked at General Electric for 12 years in several leadership roles, most recently as CFO.
Hugh Johnston | Disney
Hugh Johnston became the new chief financial officer and senior executive vice president of The Walt Disney Co. in November. Johnston, a 34-year veteran of PepsiCo, had been finance chief of the food and beverage giant since 2010. Johnston replaced Disney’s interim CFO Kevin Lansberry, who will return to his position as executive vice president and CFO of Disney’s experiences segment. Lansberry stepped in for Christine McCarthy, who resigned as Disney’s finance chief in June for family medical leave.
Paul Vogel | Spotify
Audio streaming platform Spotify announced the departure of Paul Vogel, their CFO since 2020. Before being promoted to finance chief, Vogel worked as head of FP&A, treasury, and investor relations beginning in 2016. Vogel's departure will be effective in March 2024. Vogel’s leaving came shortly after the company announced its third round of layoffs, targeting 17% of its workforce. Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify, said the company needs a CFO with a "different set of experiences."
Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah | Uber
Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah took over as finance chief of ride-sharing company Uber in November. Mahendra-Rajah previously worked at semiconductor manufacturing company Analog Devices, where he was CFO for six years. Before that, he was chief financial officer of WABCO Holdings, a global supplier of commercial vehicle technologies. He previously was division CFO at Applied Materials and worked in finance leadership roles at Visa and United Technologies. Mahendra-Rajah replaces Nelson Chai, who was Uber’s CFO for five years and oversaw the ride-hailing company’s IPO in 2019.
Joanne Knight | Cargill
Agribusiness giant Cargill named Joanne Knight its new finance chief. Knight took over as the company’s acting CFO last month after Jamie Miller stepped down to become global CFO of Ernst & Young. Before this role, Knight was Cargill’s vice president of finance for the agriculture supply chain enterprise. Before joining Cargill, she spent 10 years in finance, marketing, and business leadership roles at General Mills. Knight also held finance leadership roles at Wachovia.
Ellie Mertz | Airbnb
Ellie Mertz, Airbnb’s vice president of finance, will take over as the online homestay marketplace’s CFO on March 1, 2024. Mertz joined the company in Feb. 2013 from Netflix, where she worked for more seven years, her last position being vice president of finance and investor relations. Mertz replaces Dave Stephenson, who has been CFO of Airbnb since 2019. Stephenson is stepping into a new role as the company’s first chief business officer, effective January 2024.
Tom Sweet | Dell Technologies
Tom Sweet, CFO of Dell Technologies, retired after 26 years at the company. Sweet joined Dell in 1997 and held various leadership positions before assuming the CFO role in 2014. Sweet was replaced by Yvonne McGill, the company's corporate controller. McGill has held several finance roles throughout her 25 years with Dell, including CFO and senior vice president of the company's infrastructure solutions group and senior vice president of global FP&A.
Natalie Knight | Stellantis
Automaker Stellantis — owner of car brands like Alfa Romeo, Dodge, and Fiat — hired Natalie Knight as its new finance chief. Knight was previously chief financial offer at Ahold Delhaize, a Netherlands-based food retailer. Before joining Ahold in 2020, Knight was CFO at Arla Foods in Denmark and held several senior finance positions during her 17 years at Adidas AG in Germany and the U.S. She previously held investor relations roles at BASF and Bankgesellschaft Berlin. Knight replaced Richard Palmer, who left after a 20-year career with the company.
John Dietrich | FedEx
FedEx named John Dietrich its new finance chief. Dietrich joined the company from aircraft leasing company Atlas Air Worldwide, where he has worked since 1999, most recently as president and chief executive officer. Dietrich previously worked for United Airlines for 13 years. Dietrich replaces Michael Lenz, who is working in an advisory capacity until his retirement at the end of the year.
Ruth Porat | Alphabet
In September, Alphabet chief financial officer Ruth Porat took on the newly created role of president and chief investment officer for Alphabet and Google. Porat, hired in 2015, was the company’s longest-serving finance chief. She will continue as CFO and lead 2024 planning while the company looks for her successor. Porat joined the company from Morgan Stanley, where she was CFO. In her new role, she will be responsible for the company’s “other bets” portfolio, its unit for experimental ventures such as the self-driving car company Waymo and delivery drone service Wing.
Steffan Tomlinson | Stripe
Steffan Tomlinson was named finance chief of Stripe. Tomlinson joined the online billing and payments company from the event streaming platform Confluent, where he held the same role. Before that, he was CFO of Google Cloud and technical infrastructure. He previously was CFO at Palo Alto Networks and helped complete its initial public offering. Dhivya Suryadevara, Stripe’s former CFO, stepped down in April due to family matters. Suryadevara joined the company in 2020 after leaving her CFO role at General Motors.
Fernando Fernandez | Unilever
Consumer goods giant Unilever appointed Fernando Fernandez as chief financial officer, effective Jan. 1, 2024. Fernando, currently president of the company’s beauty and well-being business group, replaces Graeme Pitkethly, who is retiring. Fernandez, who has worked at the company for the last 35 years, was responsible for Unilever’s business in Latin America. Previous positions included leading Unilever Brazil, Unilever Philippines, and, before that, Unilever’s global hair care category.
Christine Dorfler | National Football League
Christine Dorfler was named CFO of the National Football League (NFL). Dorfler has worked at NBC Universal for the last 20 years, including almost eight years as CFO of NBC/Telemundo-owned television stations. She joined NBC sports group as finance chief in May 2019. Dorfler is also a U.S. Army veteran. She replaces Joe Siclare, who will remain with the league as executive vice president of finance and league policy.