Match Group CEO Bernard Kim Names Executive Leadership Team

Rhea-AI Summary

Match Group (NASDAQ: MTCH) has announced significant changes to its executive leadership team under CEO Bernard Kim. Gary Swidler has been named President and continues as CFO, enhancing operational efficiency. Will Wu joins as Chief Technology Officer, aimed at driving innovation across key brands like Tinder and Hinge. Malgosia Green takes charge as CEO of Match Group Asia, focusing on growth in the region. Hesam Hosseini becomes CEO of Evergreen & Emerging Brands. The reshuffle is designed to streamline operations, boost profitability, and explore new business opportunities.

Positive

• Gary Swidler's dual role as President and CFO may improve company efficiency.
• Will Wu's background in product innovation at Snap could lead to enhanced user engagement.
• Malgosia Green's experience can accelerate growth in the Asian market.

Negative

• Potential gaps in leadership continuity with the restructuring.
• Transitioning into new roles may present initial operational challenges.

Gary Swidler Appointed President in Addition to Chief Financial Officer

Will Wu Joins as Chief Technology Officer, Overseeing Innovation

DALLAS, Jan. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Match Group (NASDAQ: MTCH) today announced a revamped executive leadership team under Chief Executive Officer Bernard Kim, with four key businesses -- Tinder, Hinge, Asia and Evergreen & Emerging. The new organizational structure is designed to maximize profitability, enhance growth, streamline operations, and prioritize new business opportunities.

The executive changes include:

• Gary Swidler, previously Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Match Group, will become President and CFO of Match Group.
• Will Wu will join the Company as Chief Technology Officer, overseeing product innovation across the portfolio in a newly-created role. Wu most recently served as Vice President 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 recognizable and successful features including "Discover," the "Chat" messaging feature, and Snap's social gaming initiative.
• 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 Hosseini, who has been the CEO of Match and Affinity brands, will take on a newly-created role as CEO of Evergreen & Emerging Brands. In this role he will oversee Match, Meetic, Plenty of Fish, and OkCupid, in addition to emerging brands such as The League, BLK, and Chispa.
• Justin McLeod, Founder and CEO of Hinge, will now report directly to Match Group CEO Bernard Kim, reflecting Hinge's explosive growth and further prominence within the portfolio.
• The Tinder executive team continues to report directly to Bernard Kim, who also remains the interim CEO of Tinder.

Gary Swidler, Will Wu, Malgosia Green, and Hesam Hosseini will all report directly to Bernard Kim.

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. Wu joined Snap in 2014 as a founding member of the Product & Design team, where he created trademark products for the core Snapchat app and spearheaded the creation of many of Snap's most recognizable and successful features. Wu led the creation of Snapchat's "Discover" content platform, which marks one of the earliest revenue streams for Snap and is a landmark section of the app today. Wu also led the creation and growth of the "Chat" messaging feature, which today is a primary Snapchat engagement driver that connects hundreds of millions of people each day via billions of texts, photos, videos, phone calls, video chats, and "Bitmoji" stickers. Wu also built and oversaw Snap's social gaming initiative. 

"Will is truly a product savant," said Bernard Kim, CEO of Match Group. "For nine years, he has 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 are all ready to collaborate and capitalize on the opportunities ahead."

"Over the last 9 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," said Will Wu. "I'm so grateful to Evan and the team for all that we did together. 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. 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."

Wu will be based in Los Angeles and join Match Group at the end of Q1. All other appointments are effective immediately.

About Will Wu 

Starting in Q1 2023, Will Wu will be the Chief Technology Officer of Match Group, where he will work directly with Match Group executives to invest in, incubate, launch, and scale new features, emerging technologies, and innovative products across the Company's portfolio of brands.

Will most recently served as Vice President of Product at Snap Inc., where he led the multi-disciplinary team charged with the creation, growth, and commercialization of Snap's developer platforms. As the 35th employee at Snap, Will touched nearly every facet of the company as it transformed from a startup into a global public corporation. He joined the company in 2014 as a founding member of the Product & Design team, where he created trademark products for the core Snapchat app that now collectively reach hundreds of millions of users each day. Will spearheaded the creation of Snapchat's "Discover" content platform, which marks one of the earliest revenue streams for Snap and is a landmark section of the app today. He also led the creation and growth of the "Chat" messaging feature, which today is a primary Snapchat engagement driver that connects hundreds of millions of people each day via billions of texts, photos, videos, phone calls, video chats, and "Bitmoji" stickers.

After building the foundation of many core Snapchat features, Will went on to lead multiple long-term innovation initiatives for the company. He conceptualized, built, and launched Snapchat's social gaming initiative, which connected more than 300 million Snapchatters to games from more than 50 game developers and publishers. Will assembled a global multi-disciplinary team of engineers, product managers, and game designers, closed multiple M&A transactions, and forged commercial partnerships with companies like Zynga. Will also oversaw the creation and growth of Snap's developer platform, which empowers companies like Disney to put cutting-edge Augmented Reality (AR) technology into the hands of their consumers.

Will holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from UCLA.

About Match Group

Match Group (NASDAQ: MTCH), through its portfolio companies, is a leading provider of digital technologies designed to help people make meaningful connections. Our global portfolio of brands includes Tinder®, Match®, Hinge®, Meetic®, OkCupid®, Pairs™, PlentyOfFish®, OurTime®, Azar®, Hakuna Live™, and more, each built to increase our users' likelihood of connecting with others. Through our trusted brands, we provide tailored services to meet the varying preferences of our users. Our services are available in over 40 languages to our users all over the world.

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SOURCE Match Group

FAQ

What are the recent executive changes at Match Group (MTCH)?

Gary Swidler has been appointed President while remaining CFO, and Will Wu joins as Chief Technology Officer.

What is Will Wu's background before joining Match Group (MTCH)?

Will Wu previously served as Vice President of Product at Snap Inc., where he led innovative product development.

How will the executive changes impact Match Group's business strategy?

The new leadership is expected to streamline operations and enhance growth opportunities across its brands.

When did these executive changes take effect for Match Group (MTCH)?

All appointments were effective immediately, while Will Wu will join by the end of Q1 2023.