Newly appointed Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins has made his first senior hire: Elaine Paul, previously head of strategy and business development at Disney, has joined the Internet TV company as chief financial officer.
Hulu’s current CFO, Tom Fuelling, will leave the company. Paul, who starts Oct. 28, was previously senior VP of corporate strategy, business development and technology at Disney.
Hopkins, previously president of distribution for Fox Networks, was officially named CEO of Hulu last week. He replaced interim chief Andy Forssell, who is leaving Hulu.
“I’ve known Elaine for many years, and I can tell you she is one of the most tenacious, disciplined and passionate executives I have ever worked with,” Hopkins wrote in a blog announcing her hire.
Paul was involved in Disney’s original investment in Hulu back in 2009 and “has played a continuing role through her work at Disney on their corporate strategy team,” Hopkins wrote.
Hulu is owned by Disney, 21st Century Fox and Comcast’s NBCUniversal. The parent companies sought bids for Hulu earlier this year, but ultimately decided to retain ownership and invest $750 million in the venture.
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Previously at Disney, Paul served as VP of business development for the Walt Disney Internet Group, and she also has worked for McKinsey & Co. and Morgan Stanley. Paul received an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a degree in economics from Stanford University.
Hopkins also thanked Fuelling “for all of his significant contributions since joining Hulu in 2007. Part of Tom’s legacy is building our incredible finance team.”
