Facebook ad chief leaving company after decade of massive growth

Facebook ad chief Carolyn Everson said Wednesday she is leaving the company after more than a decade.

Everson, vice president of Facebook’s Global Business Group, has overseen significant ad growth for the social media giant. Ad revenue went from about $3.7 billion in 2011 to nearly $86 billion last year.

In 2019, more than 90 percent of Facebook’s overall revenue came from advertising.

“I am extremely proud of what we set out to accomplish but way more proud of my team and the support we showed each other, especially in difficult times. I always said no one will ever mention at my funeral the amount of revenue I oversaw. But hopefully one day someone will say my legacy at Facebook was in how I showed up for my team, for our clients and for our industry,” Everson said in a Facebook post Wednesday.

A Facebook spokesperson said in a statement, “we wish Carolyn the best as she moves into a new chapter. We are grateful for her contributions.”

Everson was also a key spokesperson for the company last year amid ad boycotts over hateful content on the platform. More than 1,000 businesses last year joined the Stop Hate for Profit boycott, organized by civil rights organizations, and paused ads on Facebook.

With Everson’s departure, Nicola Mendelsohn will serve as the interim leader for Facebook’s global business group. Mendelsohn runs Facebook’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region and has been with the company for more than eight years.

Last week, Facebook named Marne Levine to serve as its first chief business officer.