Former Minister joins Twitter's Board of Directors

Former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been added to the Board of Directors of social media giant, Twitter Inc.

She was appointed alongside Robert Zoellick as new independent directors of the board, effective immediately, in an announcement made on Thursday, July 19, 2018. The two join the board as Marjorie Scardino is set to step down at the end of the year for personal reasons.

Co-founder and CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, took to his Twitter account to welcome the two new board additions and bid farewell to Scardino.

He posted, "We're adding Ngozi (NOIweala) and Bob (authorzoellick) to the Twitter board. Welcome! Sadly we're also saying farewell to our friend Marjorie (marjscar). She's been an amazing advocate for journalists everywhere, and pushed us constantly to better inform people. Thank you M."

Twitter's Executive Chairman, Omid Kordestani, remarked that the new directors will use their expertise to push the organisation to a healthier and safer space for all its users.

He said, "Ngozi and Bob are distinguished leaders with unparalleled global perspective and policy expertise. We are confident they will be incredible assets to Twitter as we continue to focus on driving transparency and making Twitter a safer, healthier place for everyone who uses our service."

He also thanked Scardino for her contributions and insights since joining the board in 2013.

Okonjo-Iweala, Zoellick react to appointments

The new directors have expressed their excitement at joining Twitter, indicating the desire to make it even an even better platform for the world.

Okonjo-Iweala said, "Twitter is a powerful platform that continues to be used as a strong connector for the global community, and I'm thrilled to be a part of the team.

"As we strive to build a better world for tomorrow, Twitter can amplify messages and drive critical conversations around today's most important issues. I look forward to partnering with Twitter's talented directors and leadership team as we work to leverage the power of Twitter for good."

She also took to her Twitter account to thank Dorsey for the privilege of working together, 'again'.

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Okonjo-Iweala served as the Minister of Finance under former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, between 2003 and 2006, and Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy of Nigeria from 2011 to 2015 under former president, Goodluck Jonathan. She has also held several positions at the World Bank, most recently as Managing Director from December 2007 until August 2011.

Zoellick, a former President of the World Bank, also expressed his excitement at working with other directors.

"I'm honored to join a company as purposeful as Twitter. Twitter has made meaningful progress in expanding and encouraging global dialogue and creativity on its platform, and I'm privileged to work with Jack, Omid and the rest of the Board to continue the strong momentum underway," he said.