First woman on Facebook board

Facebook’s No 2 executive, Sheryl Sandberg, has become the first woman on the social-networking company’s board of directors.

Sandberg was lured from Google in 2008 to become Facebook’s chief operating officer. Besides being the first woman, she is the first Facebook executive other than founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the board.

There had been calls for the company to add women to its board ahead of its initial public offering of stock in mid-May.

In announcing the move Monday, Facebook didn’t say whether it came in response to calls to add women. But as the No 2 to Zuckerberg, she was a logical choice.

“Sheryl has been my partner in running Facebook and has been central to our growth and success over the years,” Zuckerberg said 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.”

Sandberg has been largely responsible for building Facebook’s advertising business. She also often serves as its public face, appearing at conferences and important meetings, while Zuckerberg often prefers to stay in the background and focus on Facebook’s products.

Sandberg’s appointment is somewhat symbolic. She is already a highly influential executive at Facebook, which is unlikely to change with her board appointment. That said, Zuckerberg still controls Facebook and its board due to his holding more than half of its voting stock.

Sandberg, 42, joins Zuckerberg, Netflix chief Reed Hastings and entrepreneurs Marc Andreessen, James Breyer and Peter Thiel. Also on the board are Donald Graham, CEO of The Washington Post Co., and Erskine Bowles, president emeritus of the University of North Carolina system.

Sandberg also serves on the boards of The Walt Disney Co. and of groups such as Women for Women International. She won’t receive any additional financial compensation for the board role.

UltraViolet, a women’s rights group that has been asking Facebook to add women to its board, said its campaign “should have never been necessary”.

Most large corporations have at least one female board member.