Disney’s getting a social media infusion at the highest level. Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, has just been nominated to join Walt Disney’s board of directors. Facebook’s second-in-command will join the board once she’s elected next year (a virtual certainty).
She’s certainly qualified. Before becoming Facebook’s COO in 2008, she was the VP of online sales and operations at Google (
). Before that, she was chief of staff at the U.S. Treasury Department. Once elected to the board, she’ll become co-workers with another tech titan: Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple.
Why did Disney choose her? Beyond the fact that she’s more than qualified, it’s a signal that Disney is looking to push its web and social media presence to new heights. Sheryl’s expertise in online advertising and management could prove invaluable as it increasingly looks to its web properties (e.g. Hulu (
)) to bolster its revenue and expand its reach.
