A little over a month out from Web Summit’s first event in Qatar, the company has been thrust into the headlines once more. But not because of its upcoming event; it’s because chief executive Katherine Maher is leaving after only three months in the role.
It has only been a matter of weeks since Maher told the media about her drive to get Web Summit back to what it did best: connecting people.
But when American non-profit media organisation National Public Radio came calling, it seemed the offer was too good to resist and her exit plan is now in place. She will stay on until the Qatar event is done, but as of March 1st, the Maher era at Web Summit will be over.
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This could have been a page taken straight from the Paddy Cosgrave playbook. The controversial co-founder last year said in an interview with Canadian website BetaKit that he had a “bad habit” of leaning into controversies around Web Summit shows, especially about four weeks out when the volume of tickets booked locally is at its highest.
But his willingness to court controversy also led to his resignation from the company in October last year. Comments he made on social media about Israel in the wake of Hamas’s October 7th attack led to an exodus of sponsors and speakers from the Lisbon event and, ultimately, to him stepping away from the public eye. Cosgrave also took a break from social media, although his self-imposed X [formally Twitter] exile ended some weeks ago.
The mood has shifted for many in recent months as the conflict in Gaza has continued. But has it shifted enough though for Cosgrave to return to the company he helped build? This has certainly been a topic of conversation this week and is likely to remain one until a new chief executive is appointed.
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