12 Candidates Who Could Replace Carolyn Everson at Facebook

A chaotic few weeks at Facebook reached its tipping point June 9 when Carolyn Everson, vice president of the company’s global business group and its most prominent public face on the advertising side for a decade, abruptly left the company. The move, just days after Marne Levine's promotion to chief business officer June 3, was jarring for Facebook and the ad industry as a whole. Now, the search is on for Everson's successor, and Facebook—with a raft of qualified ad execs internally—has some interesting choices to consider, according to sources, who shared examples of internal and external candidates that would fit the bill. Facebook declined to comment on potential candidates or how it plans to move forward without Everson. Businesses Are Facing an LGBTQ+ Leadership Crisis and Lack of Role Models for Younger Talent The future candidate: Well-liked, trusted and external? No matter who steps in, the ad industry felt the loss of Everson. She had the reputation of being able to tell advertisers the honest—if not ugly—truth. In April, reports of unredacted emails from a class-action lawsuit in California from 2018 over whether Facebook had allegedly overstated its “potential reach” metric, Everson wrote, “We are going to get really criticized for that (and justifiably so).” Facebook stated that the potential reach was an estimate and that ad buyers are only charged for actual impressions. And that these emails had been “cherry-picked” to fit the plaintiffs’ narrative. MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart, who served on the MMA Global Board with Everson, told Adweek, “Facebook definitely wants a person who’s likable, and not a burn-it-to-the-ground, tough-as-nails sales leader. Somebody who’s got a really high marketer Q Score, who marketers would trust.” Either way, the business strategy won't change because of Everson's departure. "[Everson] set a precedent,” Chris Apaliski, senior director of social at performance marketing agency Adlucent, told Adweek. “Facebook almost has an obligation to fill that role with someone who has equally as many good connections and is well-liked. The ad industry adapts. There are continual changes. I think Facebook will stay the course on ad strategy and keep it internal. I don’t think Facebook wants to project a new fresh face, a new era.” Since it’s likely that Facebook will hold steady on its ad strategy, that could pose limitations for ambitious external candidates. “It’s important to consider how a specific role will enhance an individual’s marketability going forward," Adam Hillier, partner, media, entertainment and technology at search from SRI Executive, told Adweek. "The Facebook brand is a strong addition to a CV and certainly resonates in the market, but at the same time, assessing whether the opportunity offers the requisite amount of autonomy and responsibility to be able to deliver a tangible and significant contribution is essential." Prohaska Consulting principal and CEO Matt Prohaska told Adweek, “There are not a lot of places to go if you have the ego so many people at Facebook have: Who else could run this?” While search executives believe Facebook would benefit from looking to fill the role externally, it’s unlikely given the platform’s penchant for promoting internally. But finding a new sales chief won’t be hard, according to sources, who shared some examples of internal and external candidates that would suit the role. Internal possibilities (in alphabetical order): Alvin Bowles, vp, global marketing partnerships: Bowles joined Facebook in 2015 after ad sales roles with BET, AOL and Time Warner. He is part of Facebook’s global leadership team and oversees relationships with ad tech and creative companies, using third-party technology and tools to help brands measure and manage campaigns. Bowles previously oversaw monetization tools for Facebook Audience Network, which went to an all-bidding model due to changes Apple imposed with its iOS 14 operating system. Prohaska told Adweek, “Bowles would check a lot of boxes. There’s no one else senior enough. [Facebook represents the] second-largest ad revenue offering in history. Alvin could do that.” Patrick Harris, vp, global agency development: Harris has been with Facebook for 10 years following five-plus years at Microsoft. He serves as the gatekeeper between Facebook and ad holding companies, agencies, consulting firms and tech startups. His team pushes the use of resources and tools to help agencies and brands test ad creative and analyze the performance of their campaigns. He also was behind Rise, an initiative to help furloughed or unemployed ad agency professionals during the pandemic. Nicola Mendelsohn, vp of the Europe, Middle East and Africa region for the global business group: Mendelsohn, Everson’s interim replacement, has been with Facebook since June 2013, spending all her time on the other side of the pond. She led the company’s expansion into developing regions such as South Africa. She began her advertising career at BBH London and has over 20 years of experience. Will Platt-Higgins, vp, global clients, global categories, government, policy and nonprofit: Platt-Higgins is a nine-plus-year Facebook veteran. He oversees digital partnerships with brands including Amazon, L’Oreal and Procter & Gamble, as well as partnerships between the company’s global client, measurement and creative councils. He oversees ad industry organizations such as 4As, the IAB and the World Federation of Advertisers. He also oversees relationships with government bodies and organizations including the World Bank. Fidji Simo, head of the Facebook app: Simo has been with Facebook for 10 years, helping bring advertising to News Feed and then serving as director of product management and vp of monetization for video games before assuming her current role. Nada Stirratt, vp of global marketing solutions, U.S. and Canada: Stirratt joined Facebook in June 2017 after C-suite roles with Verve Group, Acxiom, MySpace, Viacom and AOL. She oversees the North American ad business across brands of all sizes, tasked with helping them understand how advertising works on its flagship app, Instagram and WhatsApp. Stirratt has recently been focusing on commerce-enabled live video, enabling brands to run livestreaming shopping events on their pages. External possibilities (in alphabetical order): Seth Dallaire, chief revenue officer, Instacart: He joined Instacart in November 2019 after nearly eight years with Amazon, following stints at Yahoo and MSN prior to that. Rita Ferro, president, Disney advertising sales and partnerships: She joined ESPN International in 2003 and has been with Disney since. Jeremi Gorman, chief business officer, Snap Inc.: Gorman joined Snap Inc. in November 2018 after nearly seven years with Amazon and has overseen an explosion in growth at the company. Stuart said she “probably has the gravitas to go do it.” Jeff Lucas, former head of North American sales and global client solutions, Verizon Media: Lucas left Verizon Media in May after two years. He was previously vp and global head of sales at Snap for nearly three years, after 11-plus years at Viacom. Stuart called Lucas “the person out there who is most available and who would put a very positive face on things. He is well-liked and well-respected.” Peter Naylor, vp of sales, Americas, Snap: Naylor joined Snap last April after similar roles with Hulu, NBCUniversal, iVillage and Lycos. Linda Yaccarino, chairman of global advertising and partnerships, NBCUniversal: Yaccarino has spent nearly 10 years at NBCU after almost 20 years at Turner. “She is trying to make an effort to change the world in a positive way,” Stuart said. “She has an amazing vision and presence.”

C-Suite

Who Could Fill Carolyn Everson’s Shoes at Facebook?

The public face of the social network’s ads businesses abruptly left after Marne Levine was named chief business officer

David Cohen

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David Cohen