Lake Forest's Carlson Named Rotary International's CFO

Rotary International has named longtime pharmaceutical industry executive Lori O. Carlson as its new chief financial officer, beginning Oct. 3

Carlson, a resident, will oversee all aspects of the financial operations of Rotary International and its charitable arm, The Rotary Foundation, which have combined revenues exceeding $400 million and almost $1 billion in assets. Areas of responsibility include financial management, financial planning and analysis, treasury and investment, corporate reporting, accounting services, insurance, risk management, and procurement.

Carlson comes to Rotary International World Headquarters with nearly 30 years of combined experience in treasury, financial planning, and financial reporting and control, most of it with the pharmaceutical companies Hospira, Inc., where she was corporate vice president and treasurer, and Abbott Laboratories, where she held several positions, including assistant treasurer and treasurer for international operations. She replaces Peter J. DeBerge, recently promoted to the position of deputy general secretary.

Carlson said she looks forward to contributing directly to Rotary's capacity "to provide what people really need" by safeguarding and growing its financial assets.

"The role of finance is to provide the underpinning and support for the organization," she explained. "We chart out, with numbers, what is possible and present different scenarios for the ultimate achievement of Rotary's goals. Finance is a universal language that cuts across all cultures and languages to explain what has been done and what is possible in the future."

She is married to Christopher Carlson, COO and senior vice president with Northern Trust Global Investments. They have two daughters, Emily and Hannah.

- Information from PR Newswire