Match Group, the parent company of several popular dating apps, including Tinder and Hinge, has announced a revamped executive team. Most notably, the company is appointing former Vice President of Product at Snap Will Wu as its new chief technology officer in a newly created role. Wu will oversee product innovation across Match’s portfolio of apps, the company says.
During his time at Snap, Wu led the team in charge of creating and commercializing Snap’s developer platforms. Wu led the creation of many of Snap’s popular features, including the “Discover” content platform, the “Chat” messaging feature, and Snap’s social gaming initiative. Match says Wu will now work directly with his executives to launch new features, emerging technologies and innovative products.
“Will is truly a product connoisseur,” Bernard Kim, CEO of Match Group, said in a statement. “For nine years he has forged new technologies at scale that have redefined user experiences and expectations of social products, particularly among Gen Z. I have known him for a long time and have seen the tremendous impact he has had on the way people connect with Snap, and I can’t wait to see what he will add to the dating experience. This leadership team has a deep knowledge base, proven track record, and we are all ready to work together and take advantage of the opportunities ahead.”
The company also announced that Gary Swindler, who previously served as Match’s chief operating officer and senior financial officer, will become Group president and chief financial officer. In addition, Malgosia Green, who was previously CEO of Plenty of Fish, will become CEO of Match Group Asia.
In another leadership change, Hesam Hosseini, the CEO of Match and Affinity brands, will assume a newly created role as Match Group CEO of Evergreen & Emerging Brands. In this role, Hosseini will oversee Match, Meetic, Plenty of Fish and OkCupid, in addition to emerging brands such as The League, BLK and Chispa. Finally, Justin McLeod, Hinge’s founder and CEO, will now report directly to Kim.
Match says the new changes are designed to maximize profitability, drive growth, streamline operations and prioritize new business opportunities. The move comes as Match looks to grow its business beyond traditional swipe-based matchmaking and into the so-called “metaverse.” Match has previously spoken about his plans for a dating metaverse, complete with a virtual goods-based economy, real-time audio and the ability for online daters to meet in a virtual space to have conversations.