Facebook has named chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg as its newest board member, settling recent criticisms that the public company doesn’t have a woman on its board.
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“Sheryl has been my partner in running Facebook and has been central to our growth and success over the years,” said Zuckerberg in a statement. “Her understanding of our mission and long-term opportunity, and her experience both at Facebook and on public company boards makes her a natural fit for our board.”
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Facebook recently came under fire for not having a woman on its board. Women’s rights group Ultraviolet campaigned against Facebook, demanding that it appoint a female board member prior to going public. At the time, Facebook had a 7-person board of all men. Sandberg’s work for Facebook speaks for itself, and thus she was an obvious appointee, but the social network IPO-ed without acquiescing.
Zuckerberg snatched Sandberg away from Google in 2008, where she was the vice president of Global Online Sales and Operations. Like Zuckerberg, she was also a student at Harvard. Other than Facebook, Sandberg serves on The Walt Disney Company’s board and two others.
Sheryl Sandberg image via World Economic Forum/Flickr
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