Elon Musk picks new Twitter ad leader after wave of departures

Twitter has a new head of ad sales as longtime executive Chris Riedy is filling the spot left by Robin Wheeler, Ad Age has learned. Riedy has been with Twitter for more than 10 years, most recently as Twitter’s VP of Europe, Middle East and Africa, and he was widely seen as a likely candidate to slide into the No. 1 ad sales role amid all the departures at the company.

Riedy’s first order of business was to hold a staff meeting on Sunday to discuss Musk's decision to reinstate Donald Trump on Twitter, a move that was sure to affect the advertising team, according to one person familiar with the meeting. 

Riedy’s title was not set, according to people familiar with the new job duties. But he is taking over for Wheeler, who left Twitter abruptly over the weekend as its head of global client solutions. Riedy had been No. 3 in Twitter’s ad sales organization, behind chief customer officer Sarah Personette and JP Maheu, the head of global client solutions. In early November, Personette and Maheu left Twitter as part of a mass exodus after Elon Musk took over the company.

Wheeler, who was head of U.S. client solutions, assumed the roles left by Personette and Maheu. Now, Riedy is taking over for Wheeler, with a broad portfolio, according to people familiar with the leadership change. Riedy will essentially have the same duties as Personette and lead marketing, business development and global content partnerships.

Riedy steps into Twitter’s ad leadership role at a rocky time. In late October, Musk completed his deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion and laid off half of the company. Advertisers have pulled back on spending on the platform, concerned about some of the policies that left them vulnerable. A number of advertisers paused spending this month, including some of its biggest, like Mondelēz. There's also been concern about leadership changes, with the exit of Pesonette and Maheu. “You’re getting rid of everyone who can calm the market and it’s not going well,” one top marketing executive at a major brand told Ad Age earlier this month.

This weekend, Musk perhaps made the most drastic change to the service by reinstating Trump’s account. Twitter banned Trump following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, warning that Trump’s account could instigate violence ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration. Trump was banned across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

Trump has yet to tweet on Twitter, but his account is unblocked. The former president’s presence on the service could have major advertising implications. Musk had assured advertisers and other stakeholders that he would consult with a “content council” before making any major decisions. Musk made the decision based on a poll of his followers on Twitter, asking whether or not they should unblock Trump's account. 

Twitter was not immediately available for comment.

Twitter has lost many top people in recent days amid ongoing layoffs and resignations. The ad sales staff and partnership teams are depleted, according to people familiar with the changes. Former Twitter employees have taken to Twitter to announce their departures. Many are posting saluting emojis and sharing the hashtag “love where you worked,” a nod to an unofficial internal motto “love where you work.” On Friday night, Wheeler posted the saluting emoji signaling her send-off, which was right around the time Musk was posting a poll to ask his 118 million Twitter followers if he should reinstate Trump. A poll that Trump won.

On Sunday night, there were more departures, including Andrew Katz, a senior client partner, who announced his goodbye on Twitter. Variety reported on departures, including Sarah Rosen, U.S. head of content partnerships. Also leaving: Maggie McLean Suniewick, who just joined in June as Twitter’s VP of partnerships, coming from NBCUniversal.