Disney Elects Two New Directors from Tech Markets

RMN Digital | December 8, 2017 | People | No Comments

Safra Catz, Chief Executive Officer of Oracle Corp.

The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors announced the election of two new directors: Safra Catz, Chief Executive Officer of global-technology company Oracle Corp., and Francis A. deSouza, President and Chief Executive Officer of biotechnology firm Illumina Inc. The elections of Ms. Catz and Mr. deSouza are effective February 1, 2018.

Ms. Catz is Chief Executive Officer of Oracle and a member of the company’s board of directors. She previously served as President of Oracle and has also served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer.

Ms. Catz was Oracle’s Chief Financial Officer from 2005 to 2008, Executive Vice President from 1999 to 2004, and a Senior Vice President from April to October 1999.

She was a member of the board of directors for HSBC Holdings, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations, from 2008 through 2015.

Francis A. deSouza, President and Chief Executive Officer of Illumina Inc.

Mr. deSouza was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Illumina in 2016 and is responsible for directing all aspects of the company’s strategy, planning and operations.

He initially joined the company as President in 2013, and led Illumina’s business units and core functions responsible for envisioning, developing and producing the company’s products. He also is a member of the company’s board of directors.

Previously, Mr. deSouza served as President of Products and Services at Symantec Corp., where he was responsible for driving the vision for the company’s portfolio and served in a variety of executive roles. He joined Symantec through the acquisition of IMlogic Inc., where he was co-founder and Chief Executive Officer.

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries, is a diversified worldwide entertainment company with operations in four business segments: Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, and Consumer Products & Interactive Media.

Disney is a Dow 30 company and had annual revenues of $55.1 billion in its Fiscal Year 2017.