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October is usually a busy month: It’s finally time to pull out those sweaters, and once Halloween hits, it’s practically New Year’s already. One thing October was a little short on this year: CFO moves. But don’t worry, we still rounded up some of the biggest name switchups for the month.
Company man. Unilever announced that Fernando Fernandez, the company’s former lead for its beauty and wellbeing group, will take over as CFO, effective January 1.
Fernandez is a longtime Unilever veteran. Before leading the beauty and wellbeing group, Fernandez ran the company’s Latin American business, as well as its Brazil unit between 2011 and 2019. And before that, more Unilever: He also led the consumer product company’s Philippines division and its global hair care unit.
“Fernando has had a very impressive track record throughout his Unilever career, in a variety of financial, marketing and general management roles,” Hein Schumacher, Unilever’s CEO, said in a statement. Fernandez will be taking over from Graeme Pitkethly, who announced his retirement plans back in May.
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First timers. There’s a first time for everything. Fintech startup Plaid hired its first finance chief: former Expedia CFO Eric Hart. The news comes amid reports that Plaid may be considering going public.
Plaid CEO Zach Perret first shared the news on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I’m thrilled to welcome Eric Hart to Plaid as our first CFO,” Perret wrote. “Eric is an incredible leader, and his many years of experience building Expedia into one of the largest platforms in the world are inspiring.”
Hart was at Expedia for over 13 years. Before taking over as CFO in 2019, he served as the travel site’s chief strategy officer. Regarding the timing between appointing a CFO and a potential IPO, a Plaid spokesperson told TechCrunch, “We do not have any plans to IPO at this time…It will be a milestone we consider at some point, but no timeline to share.”
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Another interim. CVS Health’s EVP and CFO, Shawn Guertin, will be taking a leave of absence due to “unforeseen family medical reasons,” according to a company filing. In his place, SVP of corporate finance Tom Cowhey will serve as interim CFO, effective October 13.
“Our thoughts are with Shawn and his family during this difficult period,” CVS Health president and CEO Karen S. Lynch said in a statement. “The Board and I have every confidence that Tom…will ensure we continue to execute our strategy seamlessly while we give Shawn time to be with his family.”
Cowhey joined CVS Health in February 2022. Previously, he served as CFO of Surgery Partners, and spent over a decade at insurer Aetna in different finance and strategy positions.
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