Robert Kyncl, global head of content at YouTube Inc.
Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Long-time YouTube executive Robert Kyncl announced on Monday he’s departing the dominant social video platform in the U.S. after more than 12 years at the company.
Google President of global customer solutions Mary Ellen Coe will take over the role of Chief Business Officer at YouTube starting in early October, the company confirmed. Kyncl will temporarily stay at YouTube to help with the transition.
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki thanked Kyncl on Twitter on Monday.
“We owe so much of our growth and impact to your leadership,” Wojcicki wrote. “I’m excited to welcome Mary Ellen Coe as YT’s new CBO. Mary Ellen’s career at Google has been dedicated to making partners more successful and I know she’ll do the same for creators, partners and users @YouTube!”
Variety first reported on the leadership changes at YouTube.
Kyncl joined Google’s video platform after nearly eight years as vice president of content at Netflix in the third quarter of 2010.
Variety reported that Wojcicki sent an internal memo to YouTube employees on Monday noting that under his leadership, “YouTube forged new relationships and partnerships in music, traditional media and tech,” while paying “more than $30B to creators, artists and media companies in the last 3 years.”
Kyncl’s experience at Netflix and YouTube made him a go-to source for legacy media executives, including former Disney CEO Bob Iger, who have transitioned their businesses to focus on direct-to-consumer streaming services.
Incoming CBO Mary Ellen Coe has served as Google’s president of global customer solutions since early 2017, and has been working at Google since 2012. Prior to her tenure with the search giant, she was a partner at McKinsey.
She also served on the boards of multi-national healthcare company Merck, and grocery business Whole Foods Markets before it was acquired by Amazon.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.