Web Summit announces new CEO Katherine Maher following Paddy Cosgrave’s resignation

Just two weeks out from the company’s flagship conference in Lisbon, Web Summit has announced its new CEO Katherine Maher to replace former chief executive and founder Paddy Cosgrave.

The appointment of Maher comes following Cosgrave’s decision to resign over a week ago, due to comments the former CEO and Web Summit founder made online concerning the Israel-Hamas war. The Irish entrepreneur who founded Web Summit in 2009 took to social media platform X/Twitter in the days after Hamas’ attack on Israel, with a post that stated, “War crimes are war crimes even when committed by allies.”

Cosgrave added, “I’m shocked at the rhetoric and actions of so many Western leaders & governments, with the exception in particular of Ireland’s government, who for once are doing the right thing.”

Paddy Cosgrave speaking at Web Summit 2017

His comments resulted in major controversy for Web Summit, with many other tech leaders criticising Cosgrave’s take on Israel's deadly air strikes on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for Palestinian militant group Hamas' mass killings.

Among them, David Marcus, the CEO of tech company Lightspark, responded to Cosgrave’s post on X. Marcus wrote, “You could’ve taken a more nuanced one, condemning these atrocities and calling for restraint. That would’ve been acceptable. You chose to support terrorists. As such I’ll never attend/sponsor/speak at any of your events again.”

Saddened by your ill-informed stance. You could’ve taken a more nuanced one, condemning these atrocities and calling for restraint. That would’ve been acceptable. You chose to support terrorists. As such I’ll never attend/sponsor/speak at any of your events again.

— David Marcus (@davidmarcus) October 15, 2023

In a later statement, Cosgrove condemned Hamas' October 7 assault, and attempted to amend his original statement. He wrote, "What I said, the timing of what I said, and the way it has been presented has caused upset to many.”

But the damage had already been done, with many companies prompted to withdraw from the Web Summit conference due to Cosgrave’s comments. A number of high-profile participants, speakers and attendees removed themselves from the conference bill, including actress Gillian Anderson, Google, Meta, Intel, Stripe and Siemens.

The annual conference is a staple in the tech world, allowing companies to come together to share ideas and visions concerning technological advancements. Maher takes over Web Summit just two weeks ahead of the conference, which the new CEO will lead for the first time on November 13 to 16 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Speaking on Maher’s appointment to the head of the company, Web Summit said in a statement this morning, “She has been appointed by the board to lead the company through this period of transition.”

"In recent weeks Web Summit has been at the centre of the conversation, rather than the host. Its purpose was overshadowed by the personal comments of the event's founder and former CEO, Paddy Cosgrave," Maher said in a blog post announcing her appointment. "Today, Web Summit is entering its next phase."

Maher added to the company’s statement, sharing, “I believe in Web Summit’s mission to connect people and ideas that change the world.”

Formerly serving as the CEO of Wikimedia Foundation, the global nonprofit behind Wikipedia, for five years, Maher is also the chair of the messenger platform Signal Messenger. Doubly, she is a non-resident Senior Fellow on Democracy and Technology at the Atlantic Council and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and a security fellow at the Truman National Security Project.

Maher comes from an Irish-American background; her father’s side has roots in Templemore, Co. Tipperary, while her mother’s family comes from the Tisrara/Mount Talbot area of Co. Roscommon.

“Our immediate task is returning the focus to what we do best,” Maher stated as part of the company’s address, “delivering dialogue among all those connected with technological advancement.”

Despite his resignation as CEO, Web Summit founder Cosgrave still owns 81% of the company.

Web Summit also announced today the appointment of tech leader Damian Kimmelman as a non-executive board director. The co-founder and innovator behind several companies and organisations in the US and Europe, Kimmelman is behind successful startup Batelle.com, non-profit FoundersPledge.com, business bank Rho.co, and business data provider Fullcircl, formerly DueDil.com.

The Web Summit conference will take place as planned on November 13-16 in Lisbon, Portugal.