Facebook has hired former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg as VP of global affairs and communications, a company spokesperson confirmed to CNBC.
Clegg replaces Elliot Schrage, who announced his departure as head of communications and global policy in June after about 10 years at the company. He will report to Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg. Clegg starts his job on Monday. He will work from London for the first few months, and move with his family to California early next year.
Facebook said Schrage will remain at Facebook as an advisor, and that Sandberg and CEO Mark Zuckerberg started meeting with Clegg in the summer. It's also notable that Facebook tapped someone from outside the company for the job.
It's a telling pick for Facebook, as the company sees increasing pressure out of Europe around user privacy. The European Union's stricter guidelines for collecting and storing user data, dubbed GDPR, took effect in May. Facebook could now face its first challenge under the restrictions, after a September security breach affected approximately 3 million Europeans.
Clegg previously headed the Liberal Democrat party in the UK. His hiring at Facebook would fill one of several notable vacancies among the company's top ranks.
David Reid contributed to this report.
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