Navigating a leadership crisis: Web Summit CEO Katherine Maher

Executive overview

When Web Summit's founder made inflammatory comments about the Israel-Hamas war, major sponsors including Amazon and Google pulled out days before the flagship Lisbon event. Katherine Maher stepped in as CEO with under two weeks to act.

She distinguished between a company in crisis versus a company going through a crisis. Web Summit had solid fundamentals — the challenge was steering through the storm, not rebuilding from scratch.

Crisis leadership is not about control — it's about setting tone, showing up, and trusting the team you inherit.

Deciding to take the role

• Key question before accepting: is this a company in crisis, or a company going through a crisis?
• Tested the board and executive team with pointed questions; found the team and product solid
• Main hesitation: navigating geopolitical scrutiny where almost anything said risks misinterpretation
• Personal connection to the Middle East made the stakes feel real, not abstract
• Doubts persisted until the cab to JFK the night before flying to Lisbon

Stabilising the Lisbon event

• Some sponsors (Amazon, Google) had already committed to absence — logistically impossible to reverse
• Focus shifted to partners still uncertain; brought several back to the table in a speaking capacity
• Speed of the CEO transition itself restored confidence — partners saw decisive governance
• Opening night remarks acknowledged harm from the founder's comments while affirming Web Summit's commitment to open debate
• Updated code of conduct: attendees had to actively consent via the event app at registration
• Gave attendees and speakers latitude to express themselves silently, within safety bounds

On CEO speech and corporate values

• Tech sector invited accountability by branding itself as a force for good
• Employees and partners now enforce that brand promise, not just executives
• At Wikipedia, Maher spoke on issues directly threatening the mission (censorship, immigration bans) and nothing else
• Every CEO must define their own boundaries; there is no universal rule
• Knowing when not to speak matters as much as knowing when to speak

Lessons from running Wikipedia

• Wikipedia operates as a top-10 global website on a compressed team and tight budget — every decision is a trade-off under pressure
• That environment built instincts for real-time ambiguity and prioritisation that transfer directly to Web Summit
• Both organisations must respond in real time to everything happening in the world
• Maher actively seeks high-pressure, fast-moving environments — "running towards the burning building"

Strategic direction for Web Summit

• Wants deeper representation of fundamental R&D, applied science, biomedical, climate tech — not just consumer product launches
• Expand truly global voices: Web Summit Doha targets South Asia, the Middle East (350M people, majority under 35), and Africa
• Africa context: by 2050 one in four people on the planet will be African; by century's end, 40%
• Doha positions Web Summit as a gateway to three underserved, fast-growing markets simultaneously
• Core conviction: technology must be in service of the societies it operates in