John Pinette, head of communications for Facebook’s Meta, leaves the company

The head of communications for Meta Platforms, Facebook’s parent John Pinette, is leaving the company, the social media company reported on Friday.

Chris Norton, vice president of international communications, will cover the position temporarily, a Meta spokesman said in an e-mailed statement to Reuters.

“John Pinette has left Meta. We are grateful for his positive contributions during an intense and significant period in the company’s history, and we look forward to him moving forward,” the statement said.

The spokesman declined to say why Pinette was leaving, citing Meta’s policy of not commenting on personal matters.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Pinette’s departure on Friday.

Pinette was named vice president of global communications in April 2019, according to the company’s website.

Prior to joining the company, Pinette led communications at Gates Ventures, Bill Gates’ private office and innovation lab, for five years, and was head of Asia-Pacific communications for Google. He has also held various product and corporate communications leadership roles at Microsoft.

© Thomson Reuters 2021