PALO ALTO — HP’s chief marketing officer Antonio Lucio (pictured) is moving to Facebook, as the beleaguered social media platform continues to face controversy. He is being succeeded as CMO at HP by Vikrant Batra, currently global head of marketing for its $19 billion imaging and printing group.

HP has also announced the promotion of Karen Kahn, chief communications officer and head of communications, corporate brand and events to the executive leadership team. Both Batra and Kahn will report to president and chief executive officer Dion Weisler.

Lucio, who was previously CMO at Visa and PepsiCo, leaves HP on 31 August after leading the marketing team for three years. He joins Facebook as the company continues to tackle a number of challenges, including its role on cracking down on fake news, and its policies and practices around data protection.

His appointment was announced on Facebook by chief product officer Chris Cox, who said: “Facebook's story is at an inflection point. We have never faced bigger challenges, and we have never had more opportunities to have a positive impact on the world — in our families, our friendships, our communities, and our democracy — by improving our products at their core, and then by telling the story outside that we all know to be true inside.”

In his post, Cox also said Lucio had “an extraordinary reputation in the industry as a leader, a marketer, an operator, and a wise, gracious, and deeply principled human being. He has been outspoken on the need to build authentic global brands with integrity and from places of principle, and also on the importance of building diverse teams at every level in the organization.”

Lucio replaces Gary Briggs, who has been Facebook CMO since August 2013 and announced in January that he would be retiring.

Weisler said: “The appointments are symbolic of the deep bench of talent within our marketing and communications organizations. Our corporate reinvention over the last several years has been fueled by the remarkable power of our brand – in our marketing leadership and emotional connection to our customers, and in our corporate narrative and purpose-driven positioning.”

He added: “It’s a privilege to be able to promote from within. Vikrant is an incredible marketing strategist and artisan with a unique perspective in turning insights into brilliant work. And Karen is a best-in-class corporate reputation leader who is connecting HP and its impact to the economic, cultural and social issues of our time. Our brand could not be in better hands.”

“We are grateful to Antonio for his service to HP,” Weisler continued. “With a brand that has never been stronger, it’s a testament to his leadership that we are prepared with the right team to continue to reinvent HP and drive shareholder value.”