Facebook No. 2 exec named to firm's board

NEW YORK — Facebook Inc.'s No. 2 executive, Sheryl Sandberg, has become the first woman on the social-networking company's board of directors.

She was lured from Google Inc. in 2008 to become Facebook's chief operating officer. Besides being the first woman, she is the first executive other than the company's founder and chief executive officer, Mark Zuckerberg, on the board.

The company had been under pressure to add women to its board ahead of its initial public offering of stock in mid-May.

Ms. Sandberg, 42, has been largely responsible for building Facebook's advertising business. She often serves as Facebook's public face, appearing at conferences and important meetings, while Mr. Zuckerberg often prefers to stay in the background and focus on Facebook's products.