Sheryl Sandberg
Encyclopedia
Sheryl Kara Sandberg is an American businesswoman. She is the current chief operating officer
of Facebook
. Prior to Facebook, Sandberg was Vice President
of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google
. She also was involved in launching Google's philanthropic arm Google.org
. Prior to Google, Sandberg served as chief of staff
for the United States Department of the Treasury
.
, United States, the daughter of Adele and Joel Sandberg and the oldest of three siblings. Her family moved to North Miami Beach
, Florida when she was two years old. She attended public school, where she was "always at the top of her class." Sandberg taught aerobics in the 1980s while in high school.
In 1987, Sandberg enrolled at Harvard College
and in 1991, graduated with a A.B.
in Economics and was awarded the John H. Williams Prize for the top graduating student in economics. While at Harvard, Sandberg met then professor Larry Summers who became her mentor and thesis adviser. Summers recruited her to be his research assistant at the World Bank
, where she worked on health projects in India dealing with leprosy, AIDS, and blindness. She was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society
.
In 1993, she enrolled at Harvard Business School
and in 1995 she earned her M.B.A.
with highest distinction . After business school, Sandberg worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company
. From 1996 to 2001, Sandberg served as Chief of Staff to then United States Secretary of the Treasury
Larry Summers under President Bill Clinton
where she helped lead the Treasury’s work on forgiving debt in the developing world during the Asian financial crisis.
Facebook
In late 2007, Mark Zuckerberg
, co-founder and CEO of Facebook, met Sandberg at a Christmas party held by Dan Rosensweig
; at the time, she was considering becoming a senior executive for the Washington Post Company
. Zuckerberg had no formal search for a COO but thought of Sandberg as "a perfect fit" for this role. They spent more time together in January 2008 at the World Economic Forum
in Davos, Switzerland, and in March 2008 Facebook announced hiring Sheryl Sandberg away from Google
.
After joining the company, Sandberg quickly began trying to figure out how to make Facebook profitable. Before she joined, the company was "primarily interested in building a really cool site; profits, they assumed, would follow." By late spring, Facebook's leadership had agreed to rely on advertising, "with the ads discreetly presented"; by 2010, Facebook became profitable.
According to Facebook, Sandberg oversees the firm's business operations including sales
, marketing
, business development
, human resources
, public policy
and communications.
.
which comes with a $280,000 annual salary. She also serves on the boards of the Brookings Institution, Women for Women International, V-Day, and the Ad Council. In 2008, she wrote an article for The Huffington Post
in support of her mentor Larry Summers who was then under fire for his comments about women.
In May 2011, Sandberg gave the Commencement Address at the Barnard College
graduation ceremony.
In addition, in 2007, she was ranked #19 on 50 "Women to Watch" by The Wall Street Journal. She was ranked 21 on that list in 2008.. In 2011, she was ranked #5 on "the world's 100 most powerful women" by the forbes
Sandberg was also named one of the "25 Most Influential People on the Web" by Business Week.
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
of Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
. Prior to Facebook, Sandberg was Vice President
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
. She also was involved in launching Google's philanthropic arm Google.org
Google.org
Google.org is the charitable arm of Internet search engine company Google.The organization has committed over $100 million in investments and grants as of May 2010. To fund the organization, Google granted them 3 million shares during their initial public offering. As of August 2011, Google.org's 3...
. Prior to Google, Sandberg served as chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
for the United States Department of the Treasury
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
.
Early life and career
Sheryl Kara Sandberg was born in 1969 in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, United States, the daughter of Adele and Joel Sandberg and the oldest of three siblings. Her family moved to North Miami Beach
North Miami Beach, Florida
North Miami Beach is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named Fulford in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the United States Coast Guard, the city was incorporated in 1927 as Fulford, but was renamed North Miami Beach in 1931. The population was...
, Florida when she was two years old. She attended public school, where she was "always at the top of her class." Sandberg taught aerobics in the 1980s while in high school.
In 1987, Sandberg enrolled at Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
and in 1991, graduated with a A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Economics and was awarded the John H. Williams Prize for the top graduating student in economics. While at Harvard, Sandberg met then professor Larry Summers who became her mentor and thesis adviser. Summers recruited her to be his research assistant at the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, where she worked on health projects in India dealing with leprosy, AIDS, and blindness. She was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society
Phi Beta Kappa Society
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...
.
In 1993, she enrolled at Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
and in 1995 she earned her M.B.A.
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
with highest distinction . After business school, Sandberg worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company, Inc. is a global management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management. McKinsey serves as an adviser to many businesses, governments, and institutions...
. From 1996 to 2001, Sandberg served as Chief of Staff to then United States Secretary of the Treasury
United States Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, which is concerned with financial and monetary matters, and, until 2003, also with some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United...
Larry Summers under President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
where she helped lead the Treasury’s work on forgiving debt in the developing world during the Asian financial crisis.
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur. He is best known for co-creating the social networking site Facebook, of which he is chief executive and president...
, co-founder and CEO of Facebook, met Sandberg at a Christmas party held by Dan Rosensweig
Dan Rosensweig
Dan Rosensweig was the chief operating officer of Yahoo! Inc. from 2002 to 2007. He later became CEO at Guitar Hero and then at Chegg.He graduated from Hobart College, in Geneva, NY in 1983.-References:...
; at the time, she was considering becoming a senior executive for the Washington Post Company
Washington Post Company
The Washington Post Company is an American education and media company, best known for owning the newspaper for which it is named, The Washington Post. The Company also owns Kaplan, Inc., a leading international provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses...
. Zuckerberg had no formal search for a COO but thought of Sandberg as "a perfect fit" for this role. They spent more time together in January 2008 at the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
in Davos, Switzerland, and in March 2008 Facebook announced hiring Sheryl Sandberg away from Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
.
After joining the company, Sandberg quickly began trying to figure out how to make Facebook profitable. Before she joined, the company was "primarily interested in building a really cool site; profits, they assumed, would follow." By late spring, Facebook's leadership had agreed to rely on advertising, "with the ads discreetly presented"; by 2010, Facebook became profitable.
According to Facebook, Sandberg oversees the firm's business operations including sales
Sales
A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity....
, marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
, business development
Business development
A subset of the field of commerce, business development comprises a number of techniques and responsibilities which aim at:1. Researching new types of business/products/services with an emphasis on identifying gaps in the mitigation of needs of potential clients .2. Attracting new customers3...
, human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
, public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
and communications.
Personal life
In 2004, Sandberg married David Goldberg. Goldberg later became CEO of SurveyMonkeySurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey is a private American company that enables users to create their own web-survey, using free and enhanced paid products and services. The company's offices are located in Palo Alto, California and Portland, Oregon. The company was founded in 1999 by Ryan and Chris Finley...
.
Other
In 2009, Sandberg was named to the board of the Walt Disney Company. She also joined the Board of Directors of StarbucksStarbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
which comes with a $280,000 annual salary. She also serves on the boards of the Brookings Institution, Women for Women International, V-Day, and the Ad Council. In 2008, she wrote an article for The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
in support of her mentor Larry Summers who was then under fire for his comments about women.
In May 2011, Sandberg gave the Commencement Address at the Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
graduation ceremony.
Rankings
Sheryl Sandberg has been ranked one of the 50 "Most Powerful Women in Business" by Fortune Magazine since at least 2008. In 2007, she was ranked #29 and was the youngest woman on the list. In 2008, she was ranked #34. In 2009, Sheryl was #22 on 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune. In 2010, Sandberg was #16 on 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune.In addition, in 2007, she was ranked #19 on 50 "Women to Watch" by The Wall Street Journal. She was ranked 21 on that list in 2008.. In 2011, she was ranked #5 on "the world's 100 most powerful women" by the forbes
Sandberg was also named one of the "25 Most Influential People on the Web" by Business Week.