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Web Summit has named a new CEO : Katherine Maher — previously chief operating officer and executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation ( between 2019 and 2021 ) . Maher is also chair of the board of the foundation behind the private messaging app Signal , and holds various other instrument panel and fellowship position — admit on the Atlantic Council and the Truman National Security Project . She also has a chronicle of interest in tech protagonism , with a focal point on human and digital rights .
In a briefvideoannouncing her appointment , Maher made no mention of the contestation thatousted Web Summit ’s long - stand CEO and co - founder , Paddy Cosgraveearlier this month — after outrage triggered byremarks he madefollowing the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel .
Cosgrave ’s remark and attitude in response to criticism pass to a number of high - visibility technical school figures and others to make public statements saying they would no longer participate in the league .
Maher ’s address today makes , perhaps , the elusive of silent acknowledgements of the challenge WWW Summit faces in reconstruct bridges in the wake of the contention : “ I ’m coming to you from Lisbon where I really go for to see you soon in November , ” she offers tentatively in her intro .
“ I worked with one of the largest and most various engineering science communities in the domain as CEO of Wikimedia , and now I ’m fabulously activated to work alongside the Web Summit squad in your globose biotic community , ” Maher survive on in the video . “ Web Summit gathers and connects thousands of innovators from every corner of the world . And , as with every year , brings important voices and conversation to the stage . Through this connection and conversation we turn on the duologue on how engineering mold our life and the worldly concern around us . I look forward to seeing you soon in Lisbon . Thank you . ”
The tech group discussion is programmed to take place mid next month ( November 13 - 15 ) , giving Maher just a few short workweek to steer the event into calm waters — and , crucially , to examine to reconnect participants alienated by Cosgrave ’s position on events in the Middle East .
Major technical school firm including Google / Alphabet , Meta , Intel , Amazon and Stripe had said they would pull out of the upcoming WWW Summit issue , as we reportedlast workweek . somebody who talk out against attending let in Keith Rabois ( Founders Fund , fintech entrepreneur and investor David Marcus , Garry Tan ( Y Combinator ) and Adam Singolda ( Taboola ) , among many others .
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It remains to be realize whether all those who had vowed to cut ties with Web Summit ’s events will be win over to rethink . But the alternative of Maher to take over as CEO is clearly intended to indicate a jailbreak with the past — with a leadership vogue that propose a shift from controversy to consensus .
In a statement go with the declaration , Maher emphasizes the mission , as she sees it , is one of connexion and conversation .
“ In a present where technology is interweave into every aspect of our life-time , and in a futurity where it represents our greatest hope and our sterling disruptor , Web Summit ’s role as a place for connexion and conversation is more pressing than ever , ” she paint a picture , offer another insidious acknowledgement that the event has been derailed . “ Our immediate undertaking is repay the stress to what we do well : delivering dialogue among all those connected with technical progression . ”
Also today World Wide Web Summit declare it has appointed tech enterpriser Damian Kimmelman as a non - executive control board director .
Cosgrave , who had chair the Web Summit plank , also stepped down from the control panel earlier this calendar month .
entanglement Summit confirm Lisbon and Qatar events still on , X - CEO Paddy Cosgrave has 80 % ownership of business
Paddy Cosgrave has stepped down as CEO of Web Summit
Web Summit derailed by founder ’s public fight with those support Israel in Hamas war
