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

Alphabet Adds a Seasoned Finance Exec to Its Board

By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 29, 2016, 10:59 AM ET
Photograph by Bloomberg via Getty Images

Google-owner Alphabet is boosting finance chops on its board by adding TIAA CEO Roger Ferguson to its board.

As president and CEO of TIAA, Ferguson leads the financial institution (ranked 82 on the 2016 Fortune 500 list) that manages retirement investments for thousands of university professors and other employees of educational, medical, government, and cultural institutions. Prior his role at TIAA, Ferguson was head of financial services for insurance company Swiss Re. He was also was vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve from 1999 to 2006.

“I’m so excited that Roger has agreed to join our Board,” said former Google CEO and current executive chairman of Alphabet’s board, Eric Schmidt, in a statement. “He has a long record of distinguished and thoughtful service in the private and public sectors, and deeply understands how technology can improve the lives of people around the world.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

Ferguson should bring more financial chops to the board as Alphabet (GOOGL) and its CFO, Ruth Porat, look to streamline how the tech corporation invests in many of its moonshot projects, such as self-driving cars and contact lenses that can measure blood sugar.

When Google restructured into Alphabet in 2015, the holding company created a more investor-friendly way to separate how the company reports its financial results. Previously, Google reported its ad revenue, the bulk of its business, in combination with sales from its riskier bets, such as connected thermostat business Nest as well as the aforementioned moonshots.

Now, Google discloses revenue and profits within two categories: Google (comprised of the core ad business as well as revenue from cloud, hardware, and Android), and “Other Bets” (sales from businesses like Nest, investment returns, small contributions from its Verily life sciences business, and the secretive X innovation lab, among other initiatives).

For more on Alphabet, watch:

Ferguson will be part of the board’s audit committee, joining existing board members such as former Pixar CFO Ann Mather as well as former president and CEO of Ford (F), Alan Mulally. He replaces venture capitalist and early Google investor John Doerr on the audit committee, according to a regulatory filing.

It’s also worth noting that Ferguson is also the first African-American appointed to Alphabet’s board. Google, along with other Silicon Valley companies, have been publicizing recent bolstered efforts to promote diversity within the tech industry. Last year, Google pledged to spend $150 million on programs both inside and outside its company. This week, the search giant announced that it would house non-profit Black Girls Code at its New York office.

About the Author
By Leena Rao
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
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
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell and Khosla Ventures Founder Vinod Khosla: Graphic for Fortune 500 Titans and Disruptors of Industry podcast. Episode title: "AI and the end of work?"
NewslettersCEO Daily
Famed investor Vinod Khosla predicts free AI labor will lead to an era of few jobs and great abundance
By Alyson ShontellMarch 4, 2026
32 minutes ago
NewslettersFortune Tech
The curious case of Nvidia’s employee stock compensation change-up
By Alexei OreskovicMarch 4, 2026
57 minutes ago
C-SuiteTech
3 questions every CEO needs to ask about the AI jobs doom loom in the wake of Jack Dorsey’s dramatic 40% layoffs at Block
By Diane BradyMarch 4, 2026
1 hour ago
altman
Commentarydisruption
Sam Altman, Jensen Huang and the other AI kingpins only have themselves to blame for the scare rippling through the economy right now
By Kevin ManeyMarch 4, 2026
1 hour ago
Vinod Khosla, wearing a black suit jacket, looks forward.
AIFortune 500: Titans and Disruptors of Industry
OpenAI investor Vinod Khosla predicts today’s 5-year-olds won’t ever need to get jobs thanks to AI
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 4, 2026
2 hours ago
RetailE-commerce
Sea doubles annual earnings, yet profitability worries drag shares down in worst drop in 2 years
By Angelica AngMarch 4, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Interest on the $38.8 trillion national debt has tripled since 2020, and it already costs taxpayers more than defense and Medicaid
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard controls a sprawling business empire that dominates the economy
By Jason MaMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, March 3, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMarch 3, 2026
21 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 2, 2026
By Danny BakstMarch 2, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
American schools weren’t broken until Silicon Valley used a lie to convince them they were—now reading and math scores are plummeting
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
U.S. military gives Iran a taste of its own medicine with cheap copycat Shahed drones, while concern shifts to munitions supply in extended conflict
By Jason MaMarch 1, 2026
3 days ago

© 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.