The revolving door between social media companies, which had been spinning with particular vigor lately, has deposited another familiar face in an unfamiliar lobby.
Pinterest announced that it had hired Julie Henderson, who spent seven years as a communications executive at Snap, as its new vice president and chief communications officer. Ms. Henderson, who also previously worked at 21st Century Fox, will report to Claudine Cheever, the chief marketing officer who arrived at Pinterest in January from Amazon.
The appointment is part of what has become a wholesale leadership renovation at Pinterest under its chief executive, Bill Ready. In addition to Ms. Cheever, the company recently hired Lee Brown, a former executive at DoorDash and Spotify, as its first chief business officer. Meanwhile, the longtime chief revenue officer, Bill Watkins, has departed, and the chief content officer, Malik Ducard, is expected to leave in July.
(One imagines the company directory being updated in pencil these days.)
Ms. Henderson's tenure at Snap coincided with a period of intense regulatory scrutiny over how social media platforms handle teenage users — a subject that has kept communications professionals in the industry rather busy. At Pinterest, she will be expected to help shape the company's public narrative around artificial intelligence and the various policy debates that have attached themselves to platforms like barnacles to a pier.
"She's spent three decades guiding the biggest names in tech and media through defining moments," Ms. Cheever wrote on LinkedIn, adding that Ms. Henderson had navigated "complex policy landscapes, major business transformations, and high-stakes narratives."
Ms. Henderson will begin her new role on July 18, replacing Caroline Nolan. Her former position at Snap will be filled by Russ Caditz-Peck.
The musical chairs of corporate communications continue, one press release at a time.
Original story published in MediaPost: "Pinterest Taps Snap's Henderson As Chief Communications Officer"