Match Group CEO Bernard Kim [Images: Match Group, Kathy Schuh Photography]
In May, Dallas-based online dating giant Match Group named Bernard Kim as its CEO, replacing Shar Dubey, who continues to serve as a director on Match Group’s board and as an adviser to the company. Today, Kim named a new executive leadership team and organizational structure to carry Match forward into the future.
Four key businesses were identified in the new structure—Tinder, Hinge, Asia, and Evergreen & Emerging—in a bid to “maximize profitability, enhance growth, streamline operations, and prioritize new business opportunities.”
The leadership changes include the following:
Gary Swidler, previously COO and CFO of Match Group, will become President and CFO of Match Group.
New Match group CTO Will Wu [Photo: Match Group]
Will Wu (above) will join Match Group as chief technology officer, “overseeing product innovation across the portfolio in a newly created role,” the company said. Wu most recently served as VP of Product at Snap Inc., where he led the multi-disciplinary team charged with the creation, growth, and commercialization of Snap’s developer platforms, and spearheaded the creation of many of Snap’s most successful features—including “Discover,” the “Chat” messaging feature, and Snap’s social gaming initiative. (More about Wu and his potential impact on the company below.)
Malgosia Green, previously CEO of Plenty of Fish, will become CEO of Match Group Asia, based in Singapore. In this newly created role, Green will oversee Pairs, Hyperconnect, and the Asia go-to-market teams to further accelerate growth and expansion across the region.
Hesam Hosseni will take on a newly created role as CEO of Match Group’s Evergreen & Emerging Brands. [Photo: Match Group]
Hesam Hosseini (above), the CEO of Match and Match Affinity, will take on a newly created role as CEO of Evergreen and Emerging Brands. In the new role, he will oversee Match, Meetic, Plenty of Fish, and OkCupid, in addition to emerging brands including The League, BLK, and Chispa.
Justin McLeod, founder and CEO of Hinge, will now report directly to Match Group CEO Kim, “reflecting Hinge’s explosive growth and further prominence within the portfolio.”
The Tinder executive team continues to report directly to Kim, who also remains the interim CEO of Tinder. Swidler, Wu, Green, and Hosseini will all report directly to Kim.
New CTO Wu will work with execs across Match Group on new features, tech, and products
The company said Wu will work directly with Match Group executives across the portfolio “to invest in, incubate, launch, and scale new features, emerging technologies, and innovative products.”
“Will is truly a product savant,” CEO Kim said in a statement. “For nine years, he’s forged new technologies at scale that have redefined user experiences and expectations of social products, particularly amongst Gen Z. I’ve known him for a long time, and have seen the massive impact he’s had on the way people connect at Snap, and I can’t wait to see what he will bring to the dating experience. This leadership team has a deep bench of knowledge, proven track records, and we’re all ready to collaborate and capitalize on the opportunities ahead.”
Wu aims to connect millions worldwide in the dating category
“Over the last nine years at Snap, I’ve had the great privilege of creating products and technologies that have connected hundreds of millions of friends and family around the world,” Wu said in the statement. “In my next chapter, I hope to have that same impact on the dating category.”
“Tinder, Hinge, and the entire Match Group portfolio help people find the most important connections of their lives,” Wu added. “I’m deeply excited about this tremendous opportunity to take what I’ve learned and apply it towards this new purpose. I look forward to collaborating with these iconic brands to create new products and technologies that redefine dating and positively shape the way societies find their partners.”
Will holds a BS degree in electrical engineering & computer science from UCLA.
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