Meta appoints UFC chief and Trump ally Dana White to board

Social media giant Meta announced Monday the appointment of three new directors to its board, including Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) head Dana White, a close ally to US President-elect Donald Trump.

The new board members were announced as Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been making approaches to the incoming Trump administration, including donating one million dollars to Trump's inauguration fund.

Zuckerberg also dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in November, as the 40-year-old tycoon looks to repair the company's relationship with the incoming US leader following the presidential election.

In another recent gesture towards the Trump team, Meta last week named Republican stalwart Joel Kaplan to head up public affairs at the company, taking over from Nick Clegg, a former British deputy prime minister.

Trump has been a harsh critic of Meta and Zuckerberg in recent years, accusing the company of supporting liberal policies and being biased against conservatives.

Trump was kicked off Facebook following the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, though the company restored his account in early 2023.

White has maintained a close friendship with Trump for two decades, dating back to when Trump offered his venues for UFC events.

"I've never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta's board. I am a huge believer that social media and AI are the future," White said.

Along with White, Meta is adding Exor CEO John Elkann, and former Microsoft executive Charlie Songhurst to the board, bringing the company's board of directors to 13 members.

Elkann, scion to the Agnelli industrialist family in Italy, is the executive chairman of auto giant Stellantis and Ferrari.

The appointments came as Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, intensifies its focus on artificial intelligence and wearable technology development.

"Dana, John and Charlie will add a depth of expertise and perspective that will help us tackle the massive opportunities ahead with AI, wearables and the future of human connection," Meta CEO Zuckerberg said in a statement.