Google executive appointed to Zynga board

Social gaming company Zynga has appointed Regina Dugan, a vice-president of engineering at internet search engine giant Google, to its board.

The Reuters news agency reports that Dugan will become the second female member of Zynga’s board alongside former Yahoo executive Ellen Siminoff.

In her role at Google, Dugan also leads the advanced technology and projects group that works on inventions such as a tablet that uses 3D motion and depth sensing capabilities.

In a blog post, Zynga chief executive officer Don Mattrick said Dugan would help the social gaming company offer “next generation entertainment experiences that span categories, platforms and devices”.

Dugan’s appointment is the latest in a management overhaul by Mattrick, which last month saw the departure of several members of Zynga’s management team.

Travis Boatman, a former senior vice-president who most recently headed up the Words With Friends team, stepped down, while former head of acquisitions Terence Fung, also left the to take up the role of chief strategy officer at mobile games publisher Storm8.

In addition, Steve Chiang, who previously served as studio president and head of Zynga’s Ville series, left the company to be replaced by Microsoft’s Alex Garden, who will now oversee Zynga’s studios.

Related article: Zynga CEO Mattrick continues management overhaul