In April, when Facebook announced the departure of Chief Financial Officer Gideon Yu, the social network said it would look for a replacement with public company experience. Facebook found what it was seeking in David Ebersman, a 15-year veteran of biotech pioneer Genentech.
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David [Ebersman] worked at one of the most innovative and respected [companies] in the world, so he brings a lot to the table when it comes to our efforts to build a lasting, important company, Facebook spokesman Larry Yu says of the appointment, announced on June 29.
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Ebersman’s appointment keeps alive speculation over whether and how soon the world’s biggest social network is headed for an initial public share sale. We have no plans to go public, says spokesman Larry Yu. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was quoted in May saying an IPO remains a few years out.
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Ebersman, 38, served as Genentech’s CFO for the four years leading up to its $46.8 billion sale to drug giant Roche Holding in May. In Facebook’s press release, CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted that under Ebersman, Genentech’s revenue tripled. Zuckerberg envisions high growth for his company as well, saying sales will rise 70 percent this year. [eMarketer has projected that Facebook’s revenue will grow 20 percent this year, to $300 million.]
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Facebook’s Third CFO in Three Years
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Growth aside, Ebersman is making a big cultural jump — from a well-established company with more than 10,000 employees to an upstart with around 1,000. Facebook is less developed and less organized, and every change you want to make at a company like that breaks with the experience of what got them there, says Charles Geoly, a managing director at executive search firm Russell Reynolds. He adds that Ebersman was perceived as a strong candidate in the search market. Facebook, based in Palo Alto, Calif., said in May that…