• Viacom Inc. appointed Susan C. Gordon senior vice president, corporate controller, and chief accounting officer of CBS Corp., effective upon its separation from Viacom. Gordon, who currently holds the same titles at Viacom, joined the media company in 1981. Since then she’s held roles including CFO of Madison Square Garden and vice president of internal audit. She will report to Fredric G. Reynolds, who will serve as executive vice president and chief financial officer of CBS.
Meanwhile, Jacques Tortoroli was appointed senior vice president, corporate controller, and chief accounting officer of the post-breakup Viacom. He will report to Michael J. Dolan, who will serve as executive vice president and chief financial officer. Tortoroli has been executive vice president and CFO of Viacom subsidiary Infinity Broadcasting since 2002; during that time, he also served a year as finance chief of Viacom affiliate Westwood One. Earlier in his career, Tortoroli served as CFO for Scient Inc. and Young & Rubicam Inc.
• H&R Block Inc. named Jeffrey Nachbor senior vice president and corporate controller, effective October 17. He will report to William L. Trubeck, executive vice president and chief financial officer for the Kansas City-based tax services provider. Most recently, Nachbor was senior vice president and CFO of specialty retailer Sharper Image Corp. His previous positions include senior vice president and corporate controller for Staples Inc. and senior finance roles at Limited Brands Inc.
• A former chief financial officer is the new vice president of investor relations at New Brunswick, New Jersey pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. Louise Mehrotra was named to the post, replacing Helen Short, who will be retiring in early 2006. Mehrotra, who will report to vice chairman and CFO Robert Darretta, joined Johnson & Johnson in 1980 and most recently was vice president of worldwide health-care compliance. Earlier in her career, she was CFO of Janssen Pharmaceutica.
• Technology media company Ziff Davis Media Inc. named Mark D. Moyer senior vice president and chief financial officer. From 1995 to 2000, Moyer was vice president and controller of Ziff-Davis Inc.; most recently, he served as senior vice president and controller of global satellite provider Intelsat Ltd.
• Saks Inc. named Michael G. Archbold executive vice president, and chief financial officer, and chief administrative officer of its Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises business. He joins Saks from AutoZone, a retailer of automotive parts and accessories, where he was CFO since 2002. Earlier, he was vice president and CFO of the Booksellers Division of Barnes & Noble Inc.
• Camera manufacturer Panavision tapped Ross Landsbaum as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective October 17. Landsbaum joins the Woodland Hills, California-based company from film studio Miramax, where he most recently served as executive vice president of finance and operations and CFO. He replaces Bobby Jenkins, who is leaving Panavision to relocate to the East Coast.
• David H. Courtney is stepping down as chief financial officer of TiVo Inc. in early 2006. Courtney joined the provider of digital-video recording equipment and services in 1999.
• The Fairchild Corp. promoted senior vice president of finance James G. Fox to the additional role of chief financial officer. Fox, who joined the McLean, Virginia-based conglomerate in August, replaces John Flynn, who resigned as CFO but remains with the company as senior vice president of tax.
• Dominic Butera joined Internet search specialist Ask Jeeves Inc. as chief financial officer. Butera had been treasurer of Ocular Sciences Inc., a contact lens manufacturer. He succeeds Steve Sordello, who served as Ask Jeeves’s finance chief for the past five years.
• Atlanta-based investment adviser Amvescap Plc named Loren M. Starr senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective October 12. Most recently, Starr served as senior vice president and CFO of Janus Capital Group Inc.; earlier, he was head of corporate finance at Putnam Investments. He succeeds James I. Robertson, who remains executive vice president and a member of the board of directors.
• Private-equity fund MVC Capital hired Peter Seidenberg as chief financial officer. Before joining the Purchase, New York-based fund, Seidenberg was a principal of Nebraska Heavy Industries LLC, a turnaround management firm and middle-market buyout fund. He replaces Frances Spark, who is stepping down to work for MVC as an investment professional.
