- Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Antonio Lucio announced he is stepping down from the company
Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Antonio Lucio announced he is stepping down from the company. Lucio has been CMO of Facebook since September 2018. And he will remain as the CMO of the company until September 18, 2020 while also helping the company transition through the end of the year,
Lucio shared news about his decision to depart from the company in a Facebook and a LinkedIn post. Why is Lucio leaving the company? Lucio said he wants to have a more active role in accelerating changes around diversity, inclusion, and equity.
“Given the historical inflection point we are in as a country regarding racial justice, I have decided to dedicate 100% of my time to diversity, inclusion and equity,” said Lucio in a post. “Specifically, I want to devote the next, and probably final, chapter of my professional life to help companies and agencies in the marketing and advertising industries accelerate their transformation.”
Lucio was reporting to Facebook Chief Product Officer Chris Cox. Cox recently returned to Facebook after departing from the company in March 2019. One of the biggest roles that Lucio took on was handling the negative press Facebook received following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Prior to joining Facebook, Lucio served as the global chief marketing and communications officer at HP. And he also had a similar position at Visa.
“Grateful to Mark for his curiosity, support and commitment, and for always listening attentively even when we disagreed,” added Lucio. “I believe in Facebook’s mission, and COVID demonstrated the platforms at their best. As the company evolves, striking the right balance between preserving freedom of speech and eliminating hateful speech on the platforms is a generation-defining question that must continue to be addressed. I know the company and its leadership agree on the centrality of this important task.”
