• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

New LA Angels owner Stan Kroenke is quietly America's largest private landowner, boasting 2.7 million acres and besting Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos

2

One of MacKenzie Scott's latest donations takes her HBCU giving to well over $1 billion

3

'Critical employees will begin to retire': Trump’s new pay plan will deny most federal roles a raise, and it has workers warning of a retention crunch

1

New LA Angels owner Stan Kroenke is quietly America's largest private landowner, boasting 2.7 million acres and besting Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos

2

One of MacKenzie Scott's latest donations takes her HBCU giving to well over $1 billion

3

'Critical employees will begin to retire': Trump’s new pay plan will deny most federal roles a raise, and it has workers warning of a retention crunch

Facebook Loses Top PR Exec After Long Year of Public Relations Crises

By
Laura Stampler/TIME
Laura Stampler/TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Laura Stampler/TIME
Laura Stampler/TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 6, 2019, 4:54 PM ET
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

After a long year (or two) of public relations crises, one of Facebook’s top PR execs announced that she is leaving the company Wednesday.

“I spent a lot of time over the winter holiday reflecting, and with the New Year, and after 8 years at Facebook, I’ve decided to step down as leader of the communications group,” Caryn Marooney wrote in a Facebook post.

But in spite of the company’s recent dramatic headlines—covering everything from Russian trolls to data breaches, accusations of allowing anti-Semitic opposition research to a former employee’s public post about Facebook’s “black people problem”— Marooney’s departure appears to be relatively drama-free.

Though her end date hasn’t been announced, Marooney wrote, “I will work with Mark, Sheryl, and Nick to identify a replacement and get them up and running,” without identifying the date of her departure. She also thanked her coworkers for being, “the smartest, kindest, most dedicated people I have ever worked with.”

Although Facebook didn’t provide Fortune with an official statement about her departure, executives including COO Sheryl Sandberg and CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly replied to Marooney’s post to express gratitude for her contributions to the company.

“We started working together when Facebook was just a website,” Zuckerberg, who Recode reports worked very closely with Marooney, wrote. “You should feel proud of everything you’ve helped to build.”

Marooney isn’t the only communications lead to recently leave the company.

Wired also reported Wednesday that Debbie Frost, Facebook’s longest tenured communications employee, is retiring from her post as vice president of international policy and communications.

Marooney first started working with Facebook in 2008 as an outside consultant from OutCast, the PR firm she’d co-founded. Three years later, she moved in-house to lead Facebook’s tech PR.

Furthermore, former U.K. deputy prime minister Nick Clegg took over as Facebook’s vice president of global affairs and communications in October.

According to Recode, Clegg said in a statement that “Caryn inspires great loyalty in the communications team she has led so brilliantly, through good times and bad.”

About the Author
By Laura Stampler/TIME
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.