Javier Oliván

Javier Oliván López is a Spanish business executive who serves as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other leading technology products. He succeeded Sheryl Sandberg in August 2022 and is responsible for overseeing Meta’s business operations, partnerships, and central products, including the Reality Labs division as of January 2025.

Oliván was born in 1977 in Sabiñánigo, Spain, and earned a degree in electrical and industrial engineering from the University of Navarra (Tecnun) before completing an MBA at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. His early career included R&D engineering roles at Siemens in Munich and NTT Data in Tokyo, where he worked on digital image processing and wireless video technologies.

He joined Facebook in October 2007 as head of international growth, becoming a founding member of the company’s growth team. Over the next 15 years he held a series of senior leadership positions, including Vice President of Growth, Vice President of Central Products, and Chief Growth Officer, before being appointed COO. He is known for his role in scaling Facebook’s user base globally and later leading trust and safety initiatives.

Beyond Meta, Oliván serves on the board of Endeavor Global and previously served on the boards of Mercado Libre and Vy Global Growth. He is fluent in five languages, lives in Spain, and is married with two daughters.