MENLO
PARK, Calif., Jan. 6, 2025
/PRNewswire/ -- Meta today announced that Dana White, John Elkann and Charlie Songhurst have been elected to the
company's board of directors.
Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO
of Meta, said, "Dana, John and Charlie will add a depth of
expertise and perspective that will help us tackle the massive
opportunities ahead with AI, wearables and the future of human
connection."
"I've never been interested in joining a board of directors
until I got the offer to join Meta's board. I am a huge believer
that social media and AI are the future," said Dana White, President and CEO of UFC®. "I am
very excited to join this incredible team and to learn more about
this business from the inside. There is nothing I love more than
building brands, and I look forward to helping take Meta to the
next level."
"I am honored to be able to contribute to the future of one of
the most significant companies of the 21st century," said John
Elkann, CEO of Exor. "I look forward to bringing my global
experience and long-term perspective to the board as Meta continues
to shape and push the next frontiers of innovation and
technology."
"As part of Meta's advisory group, I've seen firsthand the
opportunities to scale new products and grow AI and enterprise
capabilities, and I'm honored to be asked to join the board to
further this work," said Charlie
Songhurst.
Dana White serves as President
and CEO of UFC®, the world's leading mixed martial arts
organization, and one of the most valuable and globally popular
properties in all of sports. White is responsible for the overall
strategic direction of UFC's global business, which employs over
600 people across five continents. Under White's leadership, UFC
has become a global sport powerhouse, producing more than 40 live
events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the
world, while broadcasting to over 975 million households across
more than 170 countries. Over the course of his career, White has
received numerous industry and business accolades for his impact
and influence in sports. Most recently, White was named one
of the most influential figures in sports by Sports
Illustrated (2023) and Sports Business Journal (2024),
as well as one of the most influential executives in media by
Variety (2024).
John Elkann is CEO of Exor, one of the largest European
investment companies, controlled by the Agnelli family. He is also
Executive Chair of Ferrari and Stellantis. He began his
professional career in 2001 at General Electric as a member of the
Corporate Audit Staff, with assignments in Asia, Europe
and North America. In 2003, he
joined the Fiat Group, and in 2004, he appointed Sergio Marchionne as its CEO, and together, they
led the successful turnaround of the business. The company would
later merge with Chrysler to form FCA and then with PSA in 2021 to
create Stellantis. In 2009, Mr. Elkann established Exor with the
purpose of "building great companies." Its portfolio is principally
made up of companies in which it is the largest or reference
shareholder, such as Ferrari, Stellantis, CNH, Philips,
Christian Louboutin, Juventus
Football Club and The Economist Group among others. In 2023, Mr.
Elkann founded Lingotto, an investment management company committed
to long-term and principal investing, wholly owned by Exor. He has
also been investing in both early- and late-stage ventures globally
and launched the Italian Tech Week, now one of Europe's most important tech conferences.
Among his family's philanthropic activities, Mr. Elkann is Chair of
the Agnelli Foundation, a non-profit, independent social sciences
research institute with a focus on education. He is also a board
member of MoMA. Born in New York
in 1976, Mr. Elkann obtained a scientific baccalauréat from Lycée
Victor Duruy in Paris, France, and
graduated from Politecnico di Torino, the Engineering School of Turin, Italy.
Charlie Songhurst is a technology
investor who currently invests in more than 500 startups globally.
He has extensive experience across enterprise SaaS, AI and deep
tech. He previously served as General Manager and Head of Global
Corporate Strategy at Microsoft, focused on partnerships and
M&A. As part of this role, he led the Yahoo and Skype
acquisitions. Before running Corporate Strategy, Charlie focused on
the emergence of Google and the growth of the search industry.
Charlie received a Bachelor's degree in Politics, Philosophy and
Economics at Oxford University.
Meta's current board members are: Mark Zuckerberg;
Peggy Alford, former Executive Vice
President, Global Sales, PayPal Holdings, Inc.; Marc L. Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz;
John Arnold, Co-Founder,
Arnold Ventures; John Elkann, CEO of
Exor; Drew Houston, Co-Founder and
CEO, Dropbox, Inc.; Nancy Killefer,
Retired Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company; Robert M. Kimmitt, Meta's Lead Independent
Director and Senior International Counsel at WilmerHale LLP;
Charlie Songhurst; Hock E. Tan,
President and CEO, Broadcom Inc.; Tracey T.
Travis, Executive Vice President, Senior Adviser to the CEO,
The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc.; Dana
White, President and CEO, Ultimate Fighting Championship;
and Tony Xu, Co-Founder and CEO,
DoorDash, Inc.
About Meta
Meta is building the future of human connection and the
technology that makes it possible. When Facebook launched in 2004,
it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram
and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta
is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like
augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in
social technology.
Contacts
Investors:
Kenneth Dorell
investor@meta.com / investor.fb.com
Press:
Ashley Zandy
press@meta.com / about.fb.com/news/
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dana-white-john-elkann-and-charlie-songhurst-to-join-meta-board-of-directors-302343463.html
SOURCE Meta
