- Brent Willman apparently came up with the right answers. Game Show Network, a Culver City, Calif.-based programming service, which is jointly owned and operated by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Digital Inc., appointed Willman to the newly created position of SVP and CFO. Willman, who will also oversee Game Show Network’s operations, administration and human resources departments, will report directly to company CEO, Rich Cronin. Prior to joining Game Show Network, Willman was SVP and CFO, at IFilm, an online film portal, and SVP and controller for E! Entertainment Television.
- The looking has ended for LookSmart Ltd. Management at the San Francisco based Internet search specialist hired Dianne Dubois as the company’s new CFO. Working on the Web won’t be unfamiliar ground for Dubois: she was the former VP of finance for North America at E*Trade Group Inc., the online financial services company. Dubois replaces Martha Clark, who’s been serving as the company’s interim CFO since March. Observers say the Dubois hiring is part of LookSmart’s recent focus on cutting net losses. Those losses grew in the second quarter.
- Wayne Boylston’s got a new job, this one at Thoratec Corp. The Pleasanton, Calif.-based medical device company recently appointed Boylston SVP and CFO. The move makes sense. Boylston has two decades of finance function experience at medical device and technology companies. He comes to Thoratec from Flashcom, Inc., a broadband communications services company, where he served as CFO. Boylston replaces Cheryl Hess, who is retiring after 18 years with the company.
- It seems Howard Bain fits the bill just fine at Portal Software. The Cupertino, Calif.-based provider of customer management and billing software hired Bain as chief financial officer. Before landing the top finance position at Portal Software, Bain was the CFO at Vicinity Corp., an Internet marketing specialist. While there, Bain helped direct the company’s initial public offering. As the CFO at Portal Software, Bain will assume global responsibility for all financial planning, reporting, analysis, and investor relations, and will report to John Little, company CEO.