Sony Pictures Entertainment Names Drew Shearer EVP, CFO

Drew Shearer has been promoted to EVP, CFO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, succeeding Philip Rowley, who is stepping down after eight years.

The appointment is effective Oct. 1.

Shearer is a near 30-year vet of the studio. He began in 1996 at Sony Corporation of American as Director of Internal audit. During the course of his career at the studio, he’s been the Finance Director of Sony Pictures Television Studios and Divisional CFO of Sony Pictures Television’s global businesses before being promoted in 2014 to EVP, Group Divisional Chief Financial Officer. In this position, he supervised global financial affairs for the studio’s corporate departments, content development, production, marketing and sales businesses, and linear and digital networks. Prior to SPE, Shearer worked for the Audit practice of Deloitte & Touche LLC in Detroit, Michigan.

“Drew knows our business inside and out and his financial insights and efficiencies have driven strong results for our company. We look forward to his astute leadership at a dynamic time for our industry,” said Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra. “I’d also like to thank Philip for his remarkable work at the company over the past eight years. He’s added tremendous value and driven significant corporate transformation for the company while navigating an ever-evolving industry landscape. He has positioned the studio well for continued strength and growth.”

“I have had a wonderful time here at Sony Pictures, having had the great pleasure of working with so many talented and committed people,” said Rowley. “The last few years have been very successful for this company, and I feel very privileged to have been a part of that.”

Rowley joined SPE as SEVP, CFO for Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2016. During his run at the studio, he implemented new methodologies for forecasting and budgeting, introduced new mid-range planning models, and created cross-company data initiatives, significantly cutting corporate costs. Prior to SPE, Rowley was CEO of AOL Europe, Group Finance Director at UK retail conglomerate, Kingfisher plc, and CFO of EMI Music Worldwide. During his six-year tenure at EMI, he led the acquisitions of Virgin Music, Chrysalis Records, and IRS Records. Rowley has held several non-executive board seats including ARM Holdings plc, where he successively chaired the audit and remuneration committees, and has chaired HMV Group plc and Promethean World plc. He founded the startups Tribeca Technologies in New York, and TablePouncer in the UK, and served as an advisor and board member to several additional early-stage companies.