Twitter Adds BET CEO Debra Lee to Board

Twitter Inc. said Monday that it had named BET Networks CEO Debra Lee to its board, the latest move to retool its group of directors as Chief Executive Jack Dorsey seeks more diversity.

Mr. Dorsey has pushed to remake the internet messaging-service company's board, seeking additions who "bring diversity and represent the strong communities on Twitter," he said in an April tweet. On that day, he named two directors, PepsiCo Inc.'s Financial Chief Hugh Johnston and U.K. Internet entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox, to the board.

Investors have criticized Twitter for having a board full of white males and several members who don't use the service.

Ms. Lee is CEO of BET, a broadcast channel aimed at African-Americans that is asubsidiary of Viacom Inc. She also sits on the boards of Marriott International Inc. and WGL Holdings Inc., an energy company. On Twitter's board, she was slated to serve as a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee.

Additionally, Twitter said the board had named Marjorie Scardino its lead independent director, succeeding Peter Currie in the role.

Mr. Dorsey, who was reinstalled as CEO of Twitter in October after originally co-founding the company and then leaving it in 2008, is making board swaps as he hopes to revive the sagging fortunes of the social media company.

Mr. Dorsey had made it a condition when he was hired that he would be given full leeway in changing the board's makeup, a person familiar with the matter has told The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Dorsey's goal is to jump-start user growth, which has waned. A series of strategy changes and dramatic management shuffles under Mr. Dorsey's predecessor, Dick Costolo, stalled progress on that front for years.

Write to Ezequiel Minaya at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 16, 2016 17:45 ET (21:45 GMT)

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