Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, the second most powerful person at Facebook after CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg, is in Israel. Although billed as a family visit, she is attending public events and today she traveled to Jerusalem to meet President Reuven Rivlin at his residence.
On a Facebook post she wrote, "Honored to meet with Israeli President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin in Jerusalem.I admire him for standing up for diversity and kindness across the country. His wife Nechama did the same before she passed away in June, dedicating her time to supporting children through the arts and a wonderful community garden. We both know what it’s like to lose someone you love - and to honor their memory by trying to do good in their name. Thank you, President Rivlin, for a special meeting and for working to bring people in this beautiful country together."
President Rivlin also posted on Facebook. He said, "I met Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg today. She is a woman who is a real inspiration to researchers, businesspeople and public officials. Her ability to break barriers and influence has been harnessed again and again for the benefit of letting women's voices be heard. We are pleased that young women and men today are growing up in a world in which there are more and more figures to emulate like Sheryl Sandberg - successful women who are not afraid to share with us the many difficulties on the way to the top of the world."
He added, "I was grateful for the opportunity to try on Facebook's virtual reality glasses. Now I have to try them with the grandchildren."
While in Israel, Sandberg will participate in several other public events on Wednesday. These include the launch of Facebook's Playground program in its Tel Aviv offices in Rothschild Boulevard. The program is for startups, developers, communities and NGOs and make Facebook's work methods accessible to them. Playground will offer training and events. Facebook will also launch a support program for startups working in the consumer markets, focusing on swift global growth. The program will have four study tracks: product management; marketing; management; and development.
Later on Wednesday she will hold a public meeting in Tel Aviv with Lean-In's Israeli branch. Lean-In operates in 170 countries and deals with the advancement of women in the job marketplace and was set up after her bestseller of the same name about women's empowerment. She will also hold a closed meeting with Facebook Israel employees and also have meetings with media editors and community leaders.
Sandberg has been COO of Facebook for a decade having previously served as a Google VP and as chief of staff for US Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on August 12, 2019
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