Twitter has bagged former NBC executive Vivian Schiller to head the micro blogging site's news operations.
Twitter made the announcement via a tweet on Thursday, October 24, and noted it was "thrilled" to have Schiller on board. Schiller will be joining as the new Head of News Partnerships from January next year,
"We're thrilled to announce @VivianSchiller is joining the team as Twitter's new Head of News Partnerships. She starts in January!" read the tweet from the Twitter for News account.
Schiller too confirmed the news via a tweet to her 6,700 odd followers.
"Excited to join @Twitter as Head of News in January. Leaving @NBCNews at year's end. Grateful to my beloved colleagues for 2+ great years," tweeted Schiller.
In March 2009, Schiller had left NPR abruptly after two high-profile controversies dogged her in a span of six months. She later joined NBC News as the chief digital officer.
Earlier in May, Twitter had revealed via a job posting that it was looking out for someone who would be "responsible for devising and executing the strategies that make Twitter indispensable to newsrooms and journalists, as well as an essential part of the operations and strategy of news organizations and TV news networks."
"We are looking for a seasoned leader to shape and drive the next growth phase of Twitter's partnership with the news industry. We believe Twitter is a valuable complement to the great work already being done and want to find ways for Twitter to help ensure the industry's success," read Twitter's job posting at the time.
It had been rumored for sometime that Schiller would be coming onboard Twitter and was a strong contender for the role of the "seasoned leader" who would liaise between Twitter and other organizations and play a prominent role in ensuring its growth.
Twitter is deployed by several news organizations to reach users who use media platforms to garner news.
