In case you were wondering who in the world would want the job of rehabilitating Facebook’s reputation after its scandal-ridden year, you have your answer: It’s Nick Clegg, the former U.K. deputy prime minister and one-time head of the Liberal Democrat party.
Clegg will join the social network in Silicon Valley as its head of global affairs and communications, thereby inheriting the fallout over its many privacy, data, PR, and metrics controversies. According to the Financial Times, Clegg, 51, got the job after successfully “wooing” Mark Zuckerberg and will be one of the few high-ranking British officials to enjoy a position close to the chief executive’s side.
Earlier this year, reports surfaced that Elliot Schrage, Facebook’s longtime VP of global communication and public policy—and a close Zuckerberg confidante—would step down from his post after a decade at the social network.
In a Facebook post today, Clegg acknowledged the obvious challenges of the job he’s just agreed to take, saying Facebook and its subsidiaries—including WhatsApp and Instagram—lay at the heart of some of the most difficult questions facing society today, including privacy, the integrity of the democratic process, and the tension between local cultures in a connected world. “I believe that Facebook must continue to play a role in finding answers to those questions,” he wrote,” not by acting alone in Silicon Valley, but by working with people, organizations, governments and regulators around the world to ensure that technology is a force for good.”
In a surprise defeat last year, Clegg lost his seat in parliament in the U.K.’s general election. You can check out his full post here.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
