Marlène Masure Is TikTok’s New EMEA Content Chief; Former Paris Olympics And Disney France Executive Has Replaced Rich Waterworth

Stewart Clarke
·2 min read

Marlène Masure is TikTok’s new General Manager, Operations, across Europe the Middle East and Africa. She has replaced Rich Waterworth, who has left the Chinese-owned social media platform. The role gives Masure oversight of the mobile video company’s work with creators and publishers, effectively making her the organization’s content chief in the EMEA region.

Masure has been at TikTok since 2022. Before joining, she was Chief Commercial Officer for the Organizing Committee of the Paris Olympics. Prior to that she was at Disney in France for over a decade in a variety of marketing roles. The changes mean TikTok’s GM for the EMEA region is now out of Paris. Waterworth was based in London.

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Waterworth has now left. He was well-regarded in industry circles and was at TikTok for five years during which time the popularity of the social media platform exploded. It also found itself mired in debates around online safety.

Reflecting upon his exit on social media, Waterworth said: “When I joined it was clear to me that the Product was doing something revolutionary: making creation easy and fun and getting the right video to the right user at the right time, at scale. Those foundations may seem simple, but they are very complex, and TikTok is still defining the state of the art.”

Prior to TikTok, Waterworth was at YouTube for almost a decade, looking after marketing in the EMEA region and part of the team that launched YouTube Kids. Before that he was at British broadcaster ITV. He is now spending some time studying and researching at the Oxford Institute at the University of Oxford.

The rejig at the content team is part of wider changes at TikTok that kicked in earlier this year. Ireland-based Cormac Keenan had oversight for trust and safety but has moved into an advisory position, with the responsibilities of his role moving to Adam Presser, TikTok’s LA-based Head of Operations. Theo Bertram has exited as VP of government relations and public policy in Europe.

In the U.S., moves are afoot to ban TikTok or force its owners, ByteDance, to offload the business in the country. President Joe Biden has signed a bill that requires that ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a ban on app stores.

The company confirmed the new role for Masure and Waterworth’s departure to Deadline.

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