First woman on Facebook's board of directors
Facebook has appointed Sheryl Sandberg to its board of directors, making her the first woman to serve on the board. Sandberg was poached from Google in 2008 to become Facebook's chief operating officer. She is considered the company's second-in-command, behind founder Mark Zuckerberg.
The appointment of the 42-year-old to the Board of Directors, which was announced on Monday, is primarily symbolic, as Zuckerberg controls Facebook and the Board of Directors through his majority shareholding.
In addition to Zuckerberg, the board of directors includes Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, entrepreneurs Marc Andreessen, James Breyer and Peter Thiel and Washington Post CEO Donald Graham. Prior to the company's IPO in May, there were calls for women to join the Board of Directors.
Sandberg has played an important role in the growth and success of Facebook in recent years, Zuckerberg said in a statement. Her experience at Facebook and as a board member at other companies makes her a suitable member of the board of directors of the Menlo Park, California-based company, which was founded in 2004. Sandberg was largely responsible for building up the advertising business at Facebook. In addition, she often appears in public as the face of the company, while Zuckerberg prefers to remain in the background. The 42-year-old also sits on the board of directors of Walt Disney and the international organization Women for Women International, which campaigns for women's rights. (SDA/DAPD)
