Former banker Mitchell Scherzer is the new head of finance at Hearst Corp. Most recently, he led the media practice at merchant-banking firm The Silverfern Group.
Animation studio LAIKA Inc. has named Gary Raksis CFO. Formerly, he was head of strategic planning and corporate finance at DreamWorks Animation SKG.
Bill Knight, CFO of scientific-instrument provider Bruker Corp., has been promoted to chief operating officer. He will be replaced by Brian Monahan, currently chief accounting officer. Both appointments will take effect on February 1.
John Casper has resigned as vice president of finance and CFO at Ultralife Corp. Vice president of business development Philip Fain will take over as interim CFO until a permanent replacement for Casper is found. Fain has been at Ultralife, a designer and manufacturer of communication and power systems, since February 2008.
Medical-device company NuVasive Inc. has named Michael Lambert to the top finance spot. He is a former CFO of Advanced Medical Optics.
Alliant Techsystems Inc. has appointed its CFO, John Shroyer, to the post of interim CEO. In this new role, he takes over from Daniel Murphy, who is leaving the company. An executive-search firm will work with Alliant, an aerospace and defense company, in its search for a permanent CEO.
Frank Sansone is the new head of finance at Premier Power Renewable Energy Inc. He takes over from Teresa Kelley, who is leaving to pursue other opportunities. Previously, Sansone was CFO at LiveOffice LLC.
PhotoMedex Inc., a developer of fiber-optic and laser systems for dermatological use, has promoted Christina Allgeier to lead the finance function. She joined PhotoMedex as corporate controller in 2002, when the firm acquired Surgical Laser Technologies.
James Hart has been chosen as the new CFO of Harvard Medical School-affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife, a nonprofit provider of senior health care, housing, teaching, and research. Hart comes to the company from Benchmark Assisted Living, where he also headed finance.
Insurer Blue Shield of California has named John Hedberg CFO and vice president of finance and underwriting for its Individual, Small Group, and Government Business Unit. Previously, Hedberg was business finance officer at Cigna HealthCare.
