Top Disney exec Christine McCarthy, who helped lure Bob Iger back, steps down to take family medical leave

Walt Disney Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy is stepping down from her position to take family medical leave and will help search for a long-term successor, the company said Thursday.

Kevin Lansberry, currently chief financial officer for Disney’s parks, experiences and products division, will serve as the company’s interim CFO starting July 1.

McCarthy, a 23-year Disney veteran who became CFO in 2015, will continue to serve as a strategic adviser to ensure a successful transition, Disney said in a statement. A source said McCarthy’s husband has been ill.

“Although I am leaving the CFO role, I look forward to helping with the transition and will always be rooting for the success of my extended Disney family,” McCarthy said in a statement.

In a profile appearing in Smith College’s alumni publication, McCarthy talked about battling sexism and pay inequities early in her career and juggling the demands of work and raising two children. She also survived two bouts with breast cancer, in 2000 and in 2015, shortly after being named Disney’s CFO.

“I have promised myself that I can and will get through anything,” McCarthy told the publication.

McCarthy, 67, helped set the stage for CEO Bob Iger’s return to Disney last November, when she expressed her lack of confidence in his predecessor, Bob Chapek, to members of Disney’s board.

On Thursday, Iger called McCarthy “one of the most admired financial executives in America.”

“Christine has served as a key strategic anchor during a period of great transformation,” Iger added.