Meta adds UFC CEO Dana White to board to strengthen ties with Donald Trump

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg with UFC counterpart Dana White.

Facebook parent Meta has appointed three new directors to its board, including Dana White, the chief executive officer of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and a close ally of US president-elect Donald Trump.

The move is the latest by the social-networking giant to strengthen its ties with the incoming US administration. Last week, Meta appointed Joel Kaplan, a long-time executive with close Republican ties, as its global affairs head, following Nick Clegg's departure after a six-year stint. Meta has also donated $1 million to president-elect Trump's inauguration fund. Trump takes office on January 20.

"Dana is the president and CEO of UFC, and he has built it into one of the most valuable, fastest growing, and most popular sports enterprises in the world. I've admired him as an entrepreneur and his ability to build such a beloved brand," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post on January 7.

UFC, a prominent mixed martial arts (MMAs) organisation, produces more than 40 live events across the world every year and broadcasts it to over 975 million households across more than 170 countries.

In the past few years, Zuckerberg has developed a passion for mixed martial arts and was recently injured while training for a fight.

White also attempted to negotiate a cage match between Zuckerberg and tech billionaire Elon Musk in 2023 but the Tesla owner backed out citing old injuries.

Apart from White, Meta has also named European investment company Exor CEO John Elkann and technology investor Charlie Songhurst to the board.

These appointments bring Meta's board of directors to 13 including Zuckerberg, Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Marc Andreessen, Broadcom CEO Hock E Tan and Dropbox CEO Drew Houston.

Songhurst, who previously led strategy teams at Microsoft, was part of the four-member Meta Advisory Group formed in May 2024 to advise the company's management team on artificial intelligence (AI) and technology roadmaps. Songhurst has invested in more than 500 startups across the world and has extensive experience across enterprise SaaS (software-as-a-service), AI and deep tech, Meta said in a statement.

Elkann heads Exor, a holding company of the Italian Agnelli family that owns controlling stakes in businesses such as Stellantis, Ferrari, Christian Louboutin, Juventus Football Club, and The Economist Group. He also serves as executive chairman of Stellantis and Ferrari and leads the Agnelli Foundation, a non-profit institute focused on education.

"He has deep experience running large global businesses and he brings an international perspective to our board" Zuckerberg said. "We have massive opportunities ahead in AI, wearables, and the future of social media, and our board will help us achieve our vision... 2025 is going to be a big year for Meta and I'm excited to have them on board."