Tinder swipes execs from Yahoo and YouTube and reshuffles management

By Saqib Shah March 21, 2016

tinda finger — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Tinder has gone through its biggest management reshuffle since its CEO fallout last year, which saw founder Sean Rad return to the fold as commander-in-chief.

The latest restructure involves the recruitment of four executives and the repositioning of members of the firm’s leadership team. The move comes in the midst of Tinder’s rumored plans to acquire contact management startup Humin, reports Recode.

The most high-profile new hire of the bunch is Yahoo engineering alum Maria Zhang, who takes up the position of VP of engineering. Zhang, who also served stints at Microsoft and Zillow, founded a nearby recommendations app called Alike, which was acquired by Yahoo in 2013.

Former SVP at Starz, Ferrell McDonald, will take charge of marketing at the company as the new CMO. Derek Callow, previously the director and global head of partner marketing at YouTube, joins Tinder as its VP of international, leading its global initiatives, which include the recent establishment of operations in India. Finally, James Kim, former VP of finance at Tiger Text, assumes the same position at the dating app.

Aside from the new hires, Tinder has also restructured positions within its leadership team in an effort to better manage its growth. As a result, the company’s current CTO, Ryan Ogle, will be handed the day-to-day responsibility for product organization. Jonathan Badeen, Tinder’s SVP of product, will take on the position of head of strategy. Additionally, CMO Phil Schwarz will assume what the company describes as a “new role” related to marketing, including global brand and corporate partnerships.

“For a successful startup to become a successful business at scale,” said Tinder CEO and co-founder Sean Rad in a related statement, “it’s essential to add talented people with a broader set of experiences while retaining the talent that made the startup successful to begin with.”

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