True Assists Yahoo with the Recruitment of Chief Communications Officer
December 1, 2023 – Gail Tifford and Rachel Randolph of global talent provider True has assisted in the recruitment of Sona Iliffe-Moon as the new chief communications officer. “Sona has a proven track record in elevating influential brands, and we look forward to welcoming her to Yahoo at a pivotal inflection point in the company’s history,” said Jim Lanzone, CEO of Yahoo. “As Yahoo charts a new path forward and our story continues to unfold, Sona will be instrumental in shaping our narrative and sharing it with the world.” Ms. Iliffe-Moon brings over 20 years of experience leading strategic consumer, crisis, and corporate communications for iconic brands including Facebook, Instagram, Nestle, Toyota, and, most recently, Lyft.
Prior to joining Yahoo, Ms. Iliffe-Moon served as vice president of communications and a member of the executive leadership team at Lyft. She was responsible for communications across corporate, consumer, and policy as well as direct-to-consumer storytelling through brand social and content. Before that, Ms. Iliffe-Moon’s experience spanned various industries. She previously drove communications at both Facebook and Instagram, launching key products and programs including Instagram’s IGTV, Instagram Stories, Facebook Dating, Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Communities Summit, and many more. Ms. Iliffe-Moon additionally oversaw communications across Nestlé’s beverage and international divisions, and spent nearly nine years at Toyota driving corporate and marketing communications.
Reporting directly to Mr. Lanzone, Ms. Iliffe-Moon will guide all aspects of Yahoo’s global communications strategy, overseeing corporate, consumer, and internal communications. In this role, she will promote innovation across Yahoo’s products and demonstrate the brand’s evolution, leading end-to-end communications that help consumers, partners, and employees connect with Yahoo’s mission. Ms. Iliffe-Moon will partner closely with marketing to tell integrated stories at the intersection of earned and social.
“Yahoo was a huge part of my introduction to the internet, and today it remains a highly trusted guide with potential to play an even more meaningful role in people’s lives,” said Ms. Iliffe-Moon. “I’m thrilled to join Jim and the rest of the executive team to help tell the story of what’s next.”
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Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, and operated by the namesake company Yahoo! Inc., which is 90 percent owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Management and 10 percent by Verizon Communications. It provides a web portal, search engine Yahoo Search, and related services, including My Yahoo!, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports and its advertising platform, Yahoo! Native.
Serving the Private and Public Sectors
Working in both the private and public sectors, True Search has offices throughout the U.S. as well as the EMEA and APAC regions. Since the late 1990s, the firm’s founders have refined their search process with a blend of data-centric insights, relationship-building, and experience to produce a methodology that consistently improves hiring decisions and accelerates growth. The firm’s clients include Jet, Work Front, and Summit Partners. True Search is a subsidiary of True Platform, a global portfolio of human capital services and products for high-growth tech and tech-enabled organizations. True recently placed No. 7 on the Hunt Scanlon Media “Top 50 Recruiters” ranking.
Global marketing executive Ms. Tifford is a partner in True’s consumer practice. As chief brand officer of WW International (formerly Weight Watchers) from 2018 through October 2021, she led a strategic brand shift and platform evolution from weight loss to holistic wellness.
Ms. Randolph is a principal in True’s go-to-market practice. She has expertise leading U.S. and global searches for chief marketing officers, chief communications officers and other top leadership positions in the consumer industry. Ms. Randolph works with clients at all stages from series a through publicly traded companies.
Chief Communications Officers
The chief communications officer is typically the corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the communications risks and opportunities for a business, both internally and externally. This executive is usually responsible for communications to a wide range of stakeholders, including employees, shareholders, media, bloggers, influential members of the business community, the press, the community, and the public. He or she may partner with others in the organization to communicate with investors, analysts, customers and company board members. Most organizations will rely on the communications officer to advise and participate in decisions that may impact the ongoing reputation of the firm.
Qualifications for the role typically include communications experience with multiple stakeholder groups. Early experience may include journalism, work in a public relations agency or an MBA-type background in strategy or business development. In many cases, the communications officers will need to assume responsibility for plans and outcomes that are the result of actions by persons throughout the organization.
Most organizations today rely on the chief communications officer to advise and participate in decisions that may impact the ongoing reputation of the firm. According to a recent report by Korn Ferry, 46 percent of chief communications officers report to the CEO, while 14 percent report to a chief administrative officer and 10 percent report to a chief marketing officer. It is its growing proximity to the CEO that has this role gaining in influence.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
