Meta Appoints UFC President Dana White to Board

Meta Announces New Board Members

Meta has recently expanded its board of directors with the appointment of three new individuals, as was announced on Monday. These additions include Dana White, the President and CEO of UFC; John Elkann, CEO of the European investment firm Exor; and Charlie Songhurst, a technology investor and entrepreneur.

Expertise to Drive Future Growth

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, stated in a press release that White, Elkann, and Songhurst will contribute valuable expertise and diverse perspectives. This broadened insight is intended to assist Meta in navigating significant opportunities within areas like artificial intelligence, wearable technology, and the evolution of social interaction.

Dana White’s Role and Background

Dana White assumed the position of CEO at UFC in 2023. This followed the merger of the organization with WWE, resulting in the formation of TKO Group Holdings, a new publicly traded company. He oversees the strategic direction of UFC’s global operations, including its series of live events.

John Elkann’s Investment Portfolio

John Elkann established Exor in 2009 and currently serves as the executive chair of both Ferrari and Stellantis, formerly known as Fiat Chrysler. Through Exor, Elkann directs investments in prominent companies. These include Ferrari, Stellantis, Philips, Christian Louboutin, Juventus Football Club, and The Economist Group.

Furthermore, Elkann manages Lingotto, an investment management company that is fully owned by Exor.

Charlie Songhurst’s Experience at Microsoft

Charlie Songhurst previously held the role of general manager and head of global corporate strategy at Microsoft. His focus was on forging partnerships and overseeing mergers and acquisitions. He was instrumental in leading the acquisitions of Yahoo and Skype during his tenure.

Songhurst’s Prior Advisory Role with Meta

Since the previous year, Songhurst had been providing guidance to Meta’s leadership team on matters related to artificial intelligence. This was done through participation in a newly established product advisory council. He will be stepping down from this council to assume his new position on the board, as confirmed by a company spokesperson to Bloomberg.

Board Expansion and Composition

These appointments increase the size of Meta’s board to 13 directors, including Mark Zuckerberg. Notably, all but two of the current board members have been appointed since 2019.

Other members include Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz; Tony Xu, CEO of DoorDash; Drew Houston, CEO of Dropbox; and Hock Tan, president of Broadcom.

Zuckerberg’s Continued Control

Mark Zuckerberg maintains his position as chairman of the board and continues to hold majority control of Meta through the company’s dual-class stock structure.

Dana White’s Political Affiliations

As reported by Bloomberg, Dana White has been a vocal supporter of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. However, he recently stated he wished to distance himself from political involvement. He previously appeared in Trump’s inaugural TikTok video and addressed both the Republican National Convention and Trump’s election-night rally.

Relationship Between White and Zuckerberg

Dana White and Mark Zuckerberg have a pre-existing personal relationship. They have been photographed together on Instagram, and White has previously sought Zuckerberg’s input on integrating AI technology into UFC’s ranking systems.

Meta’s Efforts to Engage with the Incoming Administration

Meta has historically faced criticism from Donald Trump. In recent months, Zuckerberg has undertaken several initiatives to foster a more positive relationship with the incoming president. These include dining at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and appointing Joe Kaplan, an executive with ties to the GOP, as Meta’s policy chief.