Web Summit has named Katherine Maher — previously CEO and executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation – its new CEO. She is also chair of the board of the foundation behind the private messaging app Signal, and holds various other board positions.
Announcing her appointment by video and blogpost, Maher barely alluded to the controversy that forced out the longstanding CEO and founder Paddy Cosgrave over remarks he made following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.
Following his stance, many high-profile tech figures went public saying they were appalled and would no longer participate in the conference.
The tech conference is, however, still programmed to take place in Lisbon, 13-16 November, so Maher will have a hard task to reconnect participants alienated by Cosgrave.
In her blogpost, Maher wrote:
“My first time at Web Summit I was struck by the openness of the event. It wasn’t a pitch competition, or a trade show, or a policy conference. It was all these things and more. It had engineers discussing the potential of carbon capture alongside politicians debating the merits of various data privacy regulatory schemes. It had investors scouting the next unicorn alongside footballers advocating for the power of sport for change.
“It was a place for the smallest startups and the biggest household names, all brushing shoulders in the same spaces, connecting over collaboration or challenging the status quo. It was a place for fresh ideas to find lightning-in-a-bottle opportunities, and for established wisdom to receive new hearing. A place that saw technology not just as an industry but as a force transforming business, politics, and society.
“If you’re reading this, though, you’re undoubtedly aware that in recent weeks Web Summit has been at the centre of the conversation, rather than the host. Its purpose was overshadowed by the personal comments of the event’s founder and former CEO, Paddy Cosgrave. Paddy has apologised and stepped down from Web Summit; you can read his statement here.
“Today Web Summit is entering its next phase. I am excited to announce that I am joining Web Summit as CEO, because I believe in Web Summit’s mission to connect people and ideas that change the world. Our immediate task at hand is returning the focus to what we do best: facilitating discussions among everyone involved in technological progress.
“Over the next few weeks our attention will be on delivering an event as compelling as any that have come before. In the months ahead we will take up the charge of setting up our global events for an even brighter future.”
Maher added her thanks for the support the event had received throughout the years and said she hoped “to see you soon”.
