Meta appoints Alex Schultz as first chief data officer, retools leadership around AI analytics

Meta has named Alex Schultz to a newly created executive position focused on data strategy and AI analytics, according to a report published July 1.

In the change, Schultz, previously Meta’s chief marketing officer, will take on the role of first chief data officer. The appointment is framed around using data and analytics to support Meta’s AI efforts, an area the company has pushed aggressively across products and infrastructure over the past year.

The leadership reshuffle also includes a promotion for Denise Moreno, who will step up as Meta’s chief marketing officer, the report said. Moreno’s prior role and the scope of her new responsibilities were described in broad terms, without a detailed breakdown of what changes internally beyond marketing leadership.

The company’s description of Schultz’s new mandate ties the data function to “AI analytics,” a phrase that generally implies systems and measurement used to improve model performance and operational decision-making. In large social platforms, data strategy can also affect how advertisers are evaluated, how recommendations and ranking are calibrated, and how experiments are measured.

Meta did not provide, in the July 1 report, additional specifics such as team structure, reporting lines for the new data officer role, or whether the chief data officer position will include governance for data access, privacy-related processes, or model telemetry. The company also did not outline a timeline for implementing any new analytics programs that Schultz would oversee.

Corporate reshuffles like this are common when tech companies consolidate AI-related capabilities under a tighter operational umbrella. For Meta, where AI is used across advertising ranking, content recommendations, and internal tooling, a “chief data officer” role can announcement an effort to connect data pipelines and measurement more directly to AI development cycles.

Still, the public information available in the report is limited on execution details. What Meta expects Schultz to deliver in the first 90 or 180 days, which existing teams will be folded into the new office, and what metrics the company will use to judge success were not disclosed.

Going forward, investors and industry watchers are likely to focus on whether the new data leadership position coincides with additional disclosures about Meta’s AI measurement and advertising performance practices, and whether Moreno’s expanded marketing scope results in changes to ad targeting, creative optimization tooling, or brand measurement approaches. Meta is also expected to update its leadership bios as these roles take effect, which can clarify reporting lines and functional responsibilities.