There's been a shake up in Snap's top ranks with two departures and three new hires
Five months after its flashy Wall Street debut, Snap is experiencing a shake up in its upper ranks, with a trio of executives quietly leaving the company in recent weeks.
Snap's head of HR and VP of security have both left the company, Business Insider has learned, along with the previously reported departure of Snap's top lawyer.
Robyn Thomas, former VP of HR and Legal, and Martin Lev, former VP of Security and Facilities, both left last month, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The timing of the departures, so soon after the IPO, is sure to raise questions about the company's direction as its stock continues to sink.
A Snap spokesperson confirmed both of the departures on Friday and told BI about three new hires:
- Michael O'Sullivan will start Monday as General Counsel, replacing longtime exec Chris Handman, who stepped down last week. O'Sullivan represented Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin during their company's IPO and Bank of America during the financial crisis.
- Snap's new VP of HR is Kathy Mandato, who was previously VP of HR for NBCUniversal. Coincidentally, NBCUniversal invested $500 million in Snap's initial public offering earlier this year.
- Snap's new Director of Global Security is Francis Racioppi Jr., a former wealth management advisor for Merill Lynch and US Army veteran. He has replaced Lev, who was at the company for just over a year and joined from Google.
A source familiar with the matter said that Thomas left Snap to pursue new opportunities. She didn't respond to a request for comment. As Snap's head of HR since she joined from Google in 2015, she watched the company grow its headcount from a few hundred to over 2,000.
Both Thomas and Lev left Snap around the same time as ex-General Counsel Chris Handman, who announced that he was stepping down in an email sent to employees last week that was seen by BI. A close lieutenant to CEO Evan Spiegel, Handman was widely respected within the company and said he was leaving to spend time with his family.
Snap shares are down roughly 19% from their $17 IPO price in March. The company reports its second-quarter earnings on August 10.