Jim Lanzone, the former chief executive officer of CBS Interactive, is leaving Tinder to become CEO of Yahoo. He’ll succeed Guru Gowrappan effective Sept. 27.
Gowrappan has been named senior advisor to Apollo’s private equity business. Apollo is the privately held company that financially backs Yahoo.
Yahoo “intends to invest significantly in the user experience and develop exciting new offerings that can build on its premier brands in sports, finance, news, technology and more,” the company said on Friday.
Prior to his stint at the hook-up app, Lanzone led the digital operations of CBS Corporation as chief digital officer and CEO of CBS Interactive, where from 2011-2019 he oversaw the the development of CBS All Access, now Paramount+.
“Jim has a remarkable track record of leading and growing innovative businesses in our industry, and we are thrilled to welcome him on board. With his experience and proven management skills, we are confident Jim is the right leader to steward Yahoo through a transformational new phase that can leverage the best of Yahoo’s platform and performance to reach new heights,” Yahoo Chairman and Apollo Partner Reed Rayman said in a statement accompanying the news. “We also want to thank Guru for his significant contributions to the company, passing the baton following three consecutive quarters of double-digit growth. We look forward to working with him in his new capacity as an advisor to Apollo.”
“I am so honored to have the opportunity to lead Yahoo and represent such an iconic portfolio of brands as we enter a transformational new era for the company,” Lanzone added. “I look forward to working with the exceptionally talented Yahoo team, globally, as we create and innovate daily on behalf of our millions of users and advertising partners worldwide. With our unique assets, resources, and lineage, we are one of the few companies positioned to tap into the many new opportunities appearing in the categories where we’re strongest. I cannot wait to hit the ground running with the Yahoo leadership team and Apollo to help grow the business exponentially in the years ahead.”
“I could not be prouder of the growth and all that our team has accomplished in the last three years under the Verizon brand,” Gowrappan said. “Now as a standalone company, Yahoo is well positioned to continue to capitalize on key expansion opportunities and I am confident that Jim, Apollo and the entire Yahoo team will work together seamlessly to build on this momentum.”