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Social Media Giant Pinterest Appoints First Black Board Member

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August 20, 2020

Taking up space at the tech table!

Social media giant Pinterest just announced the appointment of their first Black board member, Techcrunch reports. 

Andrea Wishom, president of real estate company Skywalker Holdings and former Harpo Studios executive, has been named to the board of Pinterest, becoming the first African-American and third woman to become a board member.

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Wishom comes in during the midst of social uprisings around gender and racial discrimination. Many companies are looking for ways to make their companies more diverse and inclusive, and Pinterest is no different.

Recently, employees at the company have been pushing for transparency about compensation, promotion, and retention. There have also been calls to make the executive and leadership teams more diverse. The addition of Wishom can help to bring about real accountability as the tech company forges forward.

Ben Silbermann, CEO at Pinterest, spoke about its choice to bring on the real estate exec.

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“She’s an expert in creating positive and inspirational content for global audiences, and a passionate advocate for building a company culture of respect, integrity, inclusion, and support – areas in which we must innovate and improve, he told Techcrunch. “Andrea has spent her career outside of Silicon Valley and has a vision for reimagining the board/employee relationship.” 

Wishom says she’s up for the challenge and looks forward to joining the Pinterest team.

“I’ve spent my entire career inspired to take on challenges both creatively and culturally. I’m particularly interested in Pinterest’s expansion into content and media. I’m equally interested in Ben’s vision of having a new type of conversation between employees and the board itself,” she said. “Part of meeting this moment is looking outside the expected and bringing different perspectives to the table. There are real challenges to address, and that responsibility is not lost on me. I’m committed to listening and sharing my perspective and providing guidance as Pinterest continues to make positive strides forward.”  

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According to the company site, more than 400 million people use Pinterest monthly, with more than 60% of them being women. While the company still has a long way to go, the board is beginning to reflect the demographic makeup of its users more accurately. 

Congratulations Andrea!

Photo Courtesy of Erika Dufour/Techcrunch

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