Meta names Dana White, two others to its board of directors

Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Dana White, the president of and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and a staunch ally of President-elect Donald Trump, is one of three new members of Meta's board of directors.

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement on Tuesday that White will join the board along with John Elkann and Charlie Songhurst.

"Dana, John, and Charlie will add a depth of expertise and perspective that will help us tackle the massive opportunities ahead with AI, wearables, and the future of human connection," Zuckerberg said in a statement.

Elkann is the executive chair of auto giants Ferrari and Stellantis and CEO of the investment firm Exor. Songhurst is a technology investor and a former executive at Microsoft.

White said he was enticed by Meta's offer as he is "a huge believer that social media and AI are the future."

"I am very excited to join this incredible team and to learn more about this business from the inside. There is nothing I love more than building brands, and I look forward to helping take Meta to the next level," he said.

The announcement comes on the heels of Nick Clegg announcing last week that he was leaving his post as Meta's global affairs president and handing over the reins to Joel Kaplan, a former staffer for former President George W. Bush.

Ahead of Trump's upcoming second term, Zuckerberg dined with him at his Mar-a-Lago estate in November while Meta contributed $1 million to his inauguration fund after their relationship was strained at the start of President Joe Biden's administration as Facebook banned Trump temporarily from the platform after the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol.