Grindr (NYSE: GRND), the world’s largest social network for the LGBTQ community, today announced the additions of three senior executives: Zac Katz as General Counsel and Head of Global Affairs, Tristan Pineiro as Vice President of Brand and Communications, and Solmaz Shariat Torbaghan as Director of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Katz, who will lead the legal and global affairs team, reporting to CEO George Arison, brings more than two decades of experience leading high-performing teams at the intersection of law, technology, and government. He was most recently Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer at Age of Learning, a leading education technology company. Katz previously served in the Obama Administration, including as Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission, and in the White House Counsel's Office. He graduated from Yale Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of The Yale Law Journal, and from Yale College. He clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and worked as a corporate and litigation associate at the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson. Katz takes on this role at a critical time for gay rights advocacy globally and will build a global affairs function that collaborates with Grindr for Equality to accelerate a freer, more tolerant, and more just world for the company’s users and the broader LGBTQ+ community.
Pineiro joins Grindr with over 20 years of experience in brand building and communications, previously leading global teams in both the U.K. and U.S. at mobile gaming company King, where he built the integrated marketing culture and communications function for Candy Crush, dating app Badoo (part of Bumble), and Netflix, as well as having held leadership positions at global comms agencies Zeno and Grayling. He will develop and lead the company’s fully integrated brand marketing and communications functions, reporting directly to CEO George Arison, as the company continues to expand its use cases into different areas of its customers’ lives, from hookups and dating to travel and networking.
Shariat Torbaghan is a computer scientist. She has spent the last decade building cutting-edge AI models ranging from recommender systems to co-pilots across various industries, most recently as Director of Advanced AI at Varian building steerable generative AI in the medical field. She is joining Grindr to lead the efforts in leveraging AI technology, which will be transformative to the dating industry, to improve user experience and expand AI-enabled features. She is a graduate of NYU and Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and has extensive research experience at UCLA, NYU, and Princeton University.
“These critical hires reflect increasing diversity among our leadership team, which is already among the most diverse of any public company,” said Grinder CEO George Arison. “I’m proud that we are continuing to attract such a high level of talented leaders as we connect the LGBTQ community and make progress toward our vision of being the global gayborhood in your pocket. The addition of Zac, Tristan, and Solmaz will take us to the next level as we continue to grow and build the best possible product for our users.”
About Grindr Inc.
With roughly 12 million monthly active users in virtually every country in the world, Grindr has grown to become a fundamental part of the queer community since its launch in 2009. The company continues to expand its ecosystem to enable gay, bi, trans and queer people to connect, express themselves, and discover the world around them. Grindr is headquartered in West Hollywood, California. The Grindr app is available on the App Store and Google Play.
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