Zuckerberg appoints UFC president, a Donald Trump loyalist to Meta’s board

Following the resignation of Sir Nick Clegg as president of global affairs at social media giant Meta on Thursday, the company has announced the appointment of UFC president, Dana White and two other new members to its board of directors. The other new members are European investment company Exor CEO John Elkann and tech investor and entrepreneur Charlie Songhurst.

In a statement issued on Monday, Meta CEO and Founder Mark Zuckerberg said that the trio will usher in a depth of experience that will help the company tackle the massive opportunities in the tech world.

“Dana, John, and Charlie will add a depth of expertise and perspective that will help us tackle the massive opportunities ahead with AI, wearables, and the future of human connection,” said Zuckerberg.

The additions bring Meta’s board to 13 directors, including Zuckerberg. Other board members include Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Marc Andreessen, DoorDash CEO Tony Xu, Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, and Broadcom president Hock Tan. Only two of the previous members joined in 2019.

Zuckerberg holds the title of chairman of the board and retains majority control through Meta’s dual-class stock structure.

Reactions to UFC president’s appointments

Dana White was appointed as the CEO of UFC in 2023 after the organization merged with WWE to form a new public company, TKO Group Holdings. He is responsible for UFC’s live event series and the overall strategic direction.

Reacting to the new role, the UFC president expressed his delight in building a strong network for Meta noting that AI and social media hold the future. 

“I am very excited to join this incredible team and to learn more about this business from the inside. There is nothing I love more than building brands, and I look forward to helping take Meta to the next level. I’ve never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta’s board. I am a huge believer that social media and AI are the future,” he said.

White is also a friend of Zuckerberg’s. The two have posed for Instagram photos together, and White recently sought Zuckerberg’s advice on building AI tech into UFC’s ranking systems.

Elkann, who founded Exor in 2009, is also the executive chair of Ferrari and Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler). At Exor, Elkann invests in companies including Ferrari and Stellantis, Philips, Christian Louboutin, Juventus Football Club, and The Economist Group. He also controls Lingotto, an investment management company wholly owned by Exor.

On his appointment to Meta’s board of directors, Elkann noted that he is prepared to bring a wide range of experience to the company with a view to reshaping the world of technology. 

“I am honoured to be able to contribute to the future of one of the most significant companies of the 21st century. I look forward to bringing my global experience and long-term perspective to the board as Meta continues to shape and push the next frontiers of innovation and technology,” said John Elkann

As for Charlie Songhurst, he previously served as general manager and head of global corporate strategy at Microsoft, focused on partnerships and Mergers and Acquisitions. He also led the Yahoo and Skype acquisitions.

As part of a newly created product advisory council, Songhurst has been advising Meta’s executives on AI since last year. He’ll now vacate that council to take a board seat.

“As part of Meta’s advisory group, I’ve seen firsthand the opportunities to scale new products and grow AI and enterprise capabilities, and I’m honoured to be asked to join the board to further this work,” said Songhurst.

On another end, a report from Bloomberg claimed that Dana White is a high-profile campaigner for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. He appeared in Trump’s first-ever TikTok video and spoke at the Republican National Convention and at Trump’s election night rally. Though White recently swore he wanted to do nothing with politics.

Meta has been the target of Trump’s criticism in previous trends. To this, Zuckerberg has made several recent moves to appease the incoming president. This includes dining at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and appointing Joe Kaplan, an executive with GOP ties, as Meta’s policy chief.

Likewise, Mark Zuckerberg dedicated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration funds. Trump, who will be sworn in as the 47th US President on January 20 has been highly critical of Facebook and Zuckerberg. Trump claimed that the social media platform was used against him during the 2017 election. 

The donation is also the first of its kind from Meta to US inaugural funds. The company did not make such a donation to President Joe Biden’s inaugural fund in 2020 or Trump’s previous inaugural fund in 2016.

Read More: Meta’s Zuckerberg donates $1m to Trump’s inauguration to ease “tensed relationship”.