CFO Christine McCarthy takes medical leave of absence from Disney

Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy will step down and take a medical leave of absence from the Walt Disney Corporation, the company announced Saturday.

"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, who have shown time and again that determination, teamwork and the pursuit of excellence are an unstoppable combination," McCarthy said in a press release.

McCarthy had disagreements with a number of other top Disney officials over how to structure the company's spending on content and the restructuring of the streaming platform.

Nevertheless, Bob Iger called McCarthy "one of the most admired financial executives in America, and her impact on The Walt Disney Company during 23 years of dedicated service cannot be overstated." McCarthy was reportedly a driving force in getting Iger to return as CEO, replacing Bob Chapek in that role.

Starting July 1, Disney Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Kevin Lansberry will be interim CFO.

While Disney shares are up 5% this year, their increase is slower than the S&P 500, which has had 15% growth.