Former Disney’s longtime head of communications Zenia Mucha was hired by TikTok on Thursday because the Chinese social media platform seeks to fend off political pressure to ban the app.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew said Mucha, 65, will take over as director of brand name and communications effective immediately.
“Zenia will give attention to advancing our brand’s strategic vision and advising key firms,” Chew announced in an organization memo received by The Post.
From 2001 to 2022, Mucha was a fierce defender of the House of Mouse, where she led a team of over 500 people and founded a Disney fan club called D23, which has amassed over one million energetic members.
In 2021, Mucha announced that she wouldn’t renew her comfortable contract, which gave her $ 4.9 million a 12 months, in keeping with The Latest York Times.
She had her last day working at Disney in early 2022.
Throughout the transition period between Disney and TikTok, Mucha worked because the president of the ZM Strategies consulting company of the identical name.
TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, approached Zeni last March to assist the corporate fight to forestall a US ban over concerns that the app is getting used by China to spy on Americans.
Reportedly, Mucha became Chew’s coach within the weeks leading as much as the director’s controversial appearance before Congress.
Her appointment was part of a bigger executive shakeup in TikTok.
In an internal memo, Chew announced that TikTok’s chief of staff, Adam Presser, will change into the brand’s chief operating officer, overseeing brand content, user activities, and distribution.
Employees were also notified that COO V. Pappas had resigned.
Pappas, who spent five years on TikTok, notified her colleagues of her departure on Thursday morning.
“Finally, I feel it’s the precise time to maneuver on and refocus on my entrepreneurial passions,” she wrote in an organization email that also posted on LinkedIn.
TikTok declined to comment on the review beyond Chew’s note.
In May, Montana became the primary state to dam the hugely popular app, which boasts one billion users, including greater than 150 million within the US.
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill banning TikTok from operating within the state starting January 1, 2024, citing concerns in regards to the Chinese government’s potential influence over the platform.