Sheryl Sandberg

Sheryl Sandberg is widely regarded as one of the most transformative executives in the history of digital advertising, having overseen the construction of two of the world's most powerful ad platforms. As Chief Operating Officer of Meta (Facebook) from 2008 to 2022, she architected an advertising business that grew from near zero to over $100 billion in annual revenue, pioneering self-service ad tools, mobile monetization strategies, and granular audience targeting capabilities that redefined performance marketing and set the standard for the broader AdTech industry. Her work at Facebook introduced measurement frameworks, brand safety initiatives, and data-driven attribution models that influenced how the entire ecosystem approaches campaign effectiveness. Before Facebook, Sandberg spent seven years at Google as Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations, where she played a foundational role in scaling AdWords and AdSense into the dominant search and contextual advertising products they became. Her dual tenure at Google and Facebook gives her a uniquely comprehensive vantage point across both search and social advertising — the two pillars of modern digital marketing. She was instrumental in making programmatic and self-serve advertising accessible to businesses of all sizes, democratizing ad buying in ways that permanently altered the competitive landscape for agencies, publishers, and brands alike. Since departing Meta in 2022, Sandberg has stepped back from day-to-day platform operations while remaining an influential voice in technology, leadership, and business strategy. She continues her philanthropic work through LeanIn.Org and the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, and remains a sought-after perspective on the intersection of technology, privacy, and commerce. Her bestselling book 'Lean In' and subsequent 'Option B' have extended her influence well beyond AdTech into mainstream business culture.

• BA in Economics, Harvard University
• MBA, Harvard Business School

• Scaled Facebook's advertising revenue from near zero to over $100 billion annually during her tenure as COO
• Helped build Google AdWords and AdSense into the dominant digital advertising products of the 2000s
• Pioneered Facebook's mobile advertising monetization strategy, which became critical to the company's post-IPO recovery and growth
• Authored 'Lean In' (2013), a #1 New York Times bestseller that sold over 4 million copies worldwide
• Named to Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People multiple times
• First woman to serve on Facebook's Board of Directors

• Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead (2013)
• Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy (2017, co-authored with Adam Grant)