Who is Linda Yaccarino, Twitter's new CEO
Twitter is going to get a new CEO in about six weeks from today. Earlier in the day, Elon Musk, the current 'Chief Twit,' said he has found a new chief executive for Twitter. And, now he has tweeted that person will be Linda Yaccarino, the chief of advertising at NBCUniversal. Here's all about Yaccarino.
Why does this story matter?
It has been common knowledge that Musk intended to find a new CEO for Twitter, which he acquired for $44 billion last year. Musk said in December that he would step down from the CEO post once he would found "someone foolish enough to take the job." Looks like he has found someone to take over the leadership role at the micro-blogging platform.
Here is Musk's announcement post
Yaccarino has been with NBCUniversal since 2011
Yaccarino has been with NBCUniversal for over a decade, since 2011. She started with the firm as the President of Cable Entertainment and Digital Advertising Sales in November 2011. She was promoted to Chairman, Advertising and Client Partnerships in October 2020. As the chief of NBCU's advertising, she played a major role in the launch of the company's ad-supported Peacock streaming service.
She is credited for transforming NBCUniversal's advertising and partnership
Yaccarino has been widely lauded for bringing a transformation in NBCUniversal's advertising and partnership by collating the network teams together and for becoming the 'bridge' across NBC properties. In her role, she managed $10 billion in revenue annually.
She worked with Turner Entertainment for 19 years
Before joining NBCUniversal, Yaccarino worked with Turner Entertainment Advertising Sales and Marketing and Acquisitions for 19 years as the Executive Vice President and COO. During her time at Turner, she was credited for pushing the network's advertising operations toward a digital future. She is also the Chairman of the World Economic Forum task force and the Chair of Advertising Council's Board of Directors.
She holds a degree in liberal arts and communication
Yaccarino is an alumnus of Penn State University where she studied liberal arts and communications. She has several honors to her name. Adweek named her as one of the "Ten Most Powerful Women in TV" in 2011 and Business Week called her the "CEO of Tomorrow." In 2013, she was recognized as The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Power 100.
Yaccarino is famous for her association with Trump
Yaccarino also heads YMU, a British talent-management group. Probably, what she is most known for is being an ally of former US President Donald Trump. She was selected on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
She interviewed Musk last month at an advertising conference
Last month, Yaccarino interviewed Musk at MMA Global POSSIBLE Conference, where the topics of discussion were free speech and protection for advertisers on Twitter. Following the interview, Yaccarino praised Twitter via a post on LinkedIn. Interestingly, before Musk's announcement, she had roughly 7,000 followers on Twitter but her following has seen a sharp increase. She now has about 52,000 followers.
