Joanna Shields, Baroness Shields, OBE (born 12 July 1962) is a British-American business executive and parliamentarian.
Early life and education edit
Shields grew up in St. Marys, Pennsylvania.[1] She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University in 1984.[2] Then, she earned an MBA from George Washington University.[3] Shields started her career in Washington D.C.,[1][4] before moving to Silicon Valley.[1]
Career edit
In 1989 Shields joined Electronics for Imaging (Efi) as a product manager[5] and later was appointed as Vice President of Production Systems.[2] She left in 1997 to become CEO at Veon.[1][6]
Shields then moved to London to run RealNetworks EMEA.[1][3][6] Subsequently, she was appointed as the director of EMEA Syndication & Partnerships for Google.[1][7] Shields also served as the CEO of social networking company Bebo before securing its acquisition by Aol for $850 million.[1][3] After the acquisition, she was appointed President of Aol's "social and communications products" division.[2][3] Then, she served as VP of EMEA for Facebook.[8][9]
In 2013, David Cameron appointed Shields the CEO and Chair of Tech City, a government-funded organization focused on encouraging tech companies to do business in London[3][9][10] and as UK Ambassador for Digital Industries.[2] Shields later served as the U.K.'s first Minister for Internet Safety and Security.[8] In this role, Shields was responsible for developing policies related to online safety and combating digital crimes.[11] She founded an organization called WePROTECT in 2014, focused on preventing child sexual exploitation online.[12] She was given the title "Baroness Shields, of Maida Vale in the City of Westminster" at the 2014 Peerage of England.[12] Shields was also appointed as the Parliamentary Under Secretary in 2015.[11]
Shields became the CEO of BenevolentAI from 2018 - 2023.[8][13] From 2020-2022 Shields served as co-chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence.[14]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g Vita, Emma De (April 30, 2008). "The MT Interview: Joanna Shields". Management Today. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Hessert, William (October 14, 2016). "Baroness and Penn State alumna Joanna Shields to share life story with students". Penn State University. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Shields primed to take Tech City global". Financial Times. October 26, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ Blackburn, Nicky (February 20, 2000). "American CEO gives Veon new focus". Jerusalem Post. p. 9.
- ^ Cook, James (December 1, 2014). "The 25 Coolest Women In UK Tech". Business Insider. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ a b Standard, Evening (April 25, 2013). "Joanna Shields: on a mission to transform London into a digital". Evening Standard. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "Wagging the long tail: The impact of user-generated content and social networks". The Hollywood Reporter. December 23, 2006. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ a b c Ghosh, Shona (May 2, 2018). "Former Facebook executive Joanna Shields tells us why she just became CEO of a $2 billion AI startup". Business Insider. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Penna, Dominic (October 21, 2012). "Top Facebook executive Joanna Shields resigns to head up London's Tech City". The Telegraph. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ Cadwalladr, Carole (February 8, 2015). "Baroness Shields: 'I don't like to lose. Who does?'". the Guardian. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Shead, Sam (December 3, 2015). "Joanna Shields is now a Home Office minister". Business Insider. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Gower, Evan (April 11, 2011). "The most influential women in UK tech". Alphr. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "FirstWord". FirstWord. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "le magazine". GPAI. November 12, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2024.