Former chief executive Paddy Cosgrave stepped down following backlash over comments made on social media
Web Summit has announced Katherine Maher as new chief executive, as the events company prepares for its conference in Lisbon in two weeks.
Ms Maher was chief executive of the Wikimedia Foundation, the global non-profit behind Wikipedia, for five years, and is currently the chair of messaging platform Signal Messenger. She replaces cofounder Paddy Cosgrave, who resigned following the backlash to comments he made on social media on the conflict in Gaza. A number of high profile sponsors withdrew their support from the upcoming Lisbon event before he stepped down, and speakers pulled out. Mr Cosgrave still owns 81 per cent of the company behind Web Summit.
“In a present where technology is interwoven into every aspect of our lives, and in a future where it represents our greatest hope and our greatest disruptor, Web Summit’s role as a place for connection and conversation is more urgent than ever,” said Ms Maher. “Our immediate task is returning the focus to what we do best: delivering dialogue among all those connected with technological advancement.
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