Mozilla appoints Chris Beard as interim CEO
Mozilla has begun the process of rebuilding its reputation following the imbroglio surrounding the gay marriage views that brought down its last CEO, Brendan Eich, in a blaze of negative publicity by elevating its former chief marketing officer to fill the role.
Chris Beard will be tasked with steering the non-profit enterprise beyond the ongoing fallout of the affair to focus on the success of the Firefox web browser.
Beard has a distinguished history at Mozilla having overseen the launch of both Firefox for Android and the Firefox OS operating systems, not to mention the launch of the first iteration of the desktop browser back in 2004.
In a blog post Mozilla Chairwoman Mitchell Baker said: "In this time of transition there is no better person to lead us. Chris has one of the clearest visions of how to take the Mozilla mission and turn it into programs and activities and product ideas that I have ever seen.
“We intend to use recent events as a catalyst to develop and expand Mozilla's leadership. Appointing Chris as our interim CEO is a first step in this process," Baker said. "Next steps include a long-term plan for the CEO role, adding board members who can help Mozilla succeed and continuing our efforts to actively support each Mozillian to reach his or her full potential as a leader."