Amazon Studios CFO Elaine Paul Is Exiting to Join Lyft
Lyft hired Elaine Paul, Amazon Studios’ chief financial officer and former longtime Disney exec, to be the ride-hailing service’s CFO.
Paul officially starts at Lyft on Jan. 3, 2022. She’ll replace current Lyft CFO Brian Roberts, who is stepping down from the role but will remain an adviser until June 2022 to assist with the transition.
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Since 2019, Paul has served as CFO and VP of finance for Amazon Studios with responsibility for portfolio and financial planning for Amazon’s global slate of original film and TV programming, studio operations, and Prime Video marketing finance. She previously was Hulu’s CFO and before that spent 19 years at Disney in various finance and strategy roles.
The timing of the CFO change “implies [Roberts’] departure was well-planned, perhaps allaying concerns over the departure,” Cowen analyst John Blackledge wrote in a research note to clients, adding, “we also believe investors will appreciate the extensive senior finance experience and leadership background of Lyft’s incoming CFO.”
Roberts has served as Lyft’s CFO since November 2014, guiding the company through its IPO in 2019 and helping it achieve adjusted EBITDA profitability for the first time in the June 2021 quarter.
“Elaine is a seasoned leader with a commanding record of driving growth in tech and consumer-facing industries. We’re excited to have her bring this experience to Lyft,” Lyft co-founder and CEO Logan Green said in a statement. “Building the future of transportation requires new, disruptive approaches. Elaine has made a career of thinking differently in established markets and knows how to create incredible value for both the business and our customers.”
Paul, in a statement provided by Lyft, said, “Lyft has an inspiring mission, a clear vision, and incredible growth opportunities. Logan and [co-founder and president] John [Zimmer] are deeply committed to improving people’s lives with the world’s best transportation and their passion is contagious.”
Prior to joining Amazon, Paul was CFO of Hulu for nearly six years and before that worked at Disney from 1994-2013, most recently as SVP of corporate strategy, business development and technology. In that role, she led various acquisitions, new business initiatives and strategic investments — including Disney’s original investment in Hulu in 2009, as well as the merger of Disney-owned joint ventures A&E and Lifetime. Previously, she had served as VP of business development for the Walt Disney Internet Group.
Before Disney, Paul was an associate at consulting firm McKinsey & Co. and a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and history from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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