Chris Beard, the new CEO of Mozilla. Photo by Eric Millette/Greylock Partners
The interim CEO of Mozilla Chris Beard has clinched the role for good, after the company’s board considered internal and external candidates for the job.
“No one we met was a better fit,” Mozilla executive chairwoman Mitchell Baker wrote in The Mozilla Blog.
Beard began working as Mozilla’s interim CEO and joined its board of directors in April, after previous CEO Brendan Eich resigned over criticism from equal rights groups over donations towards an anti-gay marriage bill.
Previously, Beard served Mozilla as chief marketing officer. He has been with the company since 2004.
“During his many years here, he at various times has had responsibility for almost every part of the business, including product, marketing, innovation, communications, community and user engagement,” Baker wrote.
“We have relied on his judgment and advice for nearly a decade. Chris has a clear vision of how to take Mozilla’s mission and turn it into industry-changing products and ideas.”
Before taking on the interim CEO role, Beard spent nearly a year as executive-in-residence at venture-capital firm Greylock Partners. During that time, he also served as an adviser to Baker in her role as Mozilla’s chair.
