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Catz, who has spent the past decade at the helm of Oracle<\/a>, served on the Walt Disney board<\/a> for six years. She has now stepped down, the media and entertainment giant announced yesterday<\/a>. <\/p>\n The departure was amicable, and Disney<\/a> CEO Robert Iger praised Catz for her \u201cinvaluable insight that has helped shape the company\u2019s long-term strategic planning amid a rapidly changing technological landscape that affects our businesses.\u201d Catz, similarly, thanked Iger and his leadership team and wished the company and its employees \u201cevery success in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n One complicating factor about that success, however, is that Disney is a direct competitor to the entity forged by the Paramount-Skydance deal, New Paramount<\/a>. New Paramount is led by David Ellison as chairman and CEO<\/a>. David Ellison is heir to Oracle cofounder, chairman, and chief technology officer Lawrence Ellison, who is also Catz\u2019s boss on the Oracle board. Ellison also happens to be among the richest people in the world with an estimated $172 billion net worth<\/a> and is investing $6 billion<\/a> in his son\u2019s Paramount takeover<\/p>\n While there\u2019s nothing legally wrong about Catz serving on the board of the competitor to a company funded and run by the son of one of her bosses and colleagues, it might make things a bit awkward in the Disney boardroom.<\/p>\n \u201cCorporate directors are trusted with proprietary information,\u201d Georgetown University assistant professor and corporate governance expert Jason Schloetzer told Fortune.<\/em> \u201cDirectors are good at understanding when something they learn in the boardroom can and cannot be shared elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n And given that Catz is a CEO, she very likely understands the importance of confidentiality, too, Schloetzer said.<\/p>\n \u201cI suspect Catz\u2019s departure is more optics than anything else,\u201d he said. \u201cIt may help others in Disney\u2019s boardroom retain a level of confidence to have sensitive conversations about the changing media industry.\u201d<\/p>\n Oracle did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also crossover between some of the key talent at Skydance and Disney. Skydance\u2019s head of animation is John Lasseter<\/a>, a former chief creative officer at Disney. Lasseter directed<\/a> Toy Story<\/em>, A Bug\u2019s Life<\/em>, Cars,<\/em> and Cars 2<\/em> and executive produced Finding Nemo<\/em>, Wall-E<\/em>, and many others. He left Disney in 2018<\/a> after news reports about his conduct at work and #MeToo complaints. The next year<\/a>, he took the lead at Skydance, which has produced films such as Luck <\/em>and Spellbound<\/em> and has an untitled Jack and the Beanstalk<\/em> project<\/a> in the works for next year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n