Twitter Adds First Female Director

Twitter announced it added its first female director, former Pearson Chief Executive Marjorie Scardino.

The appointment ends drawn-out speculation as to when Twitter might diversify its all-male boardroom ranks. The company was criticized in the weeks leading up to its high-profile Wall Street debut for its lack of women in top executive positions — a fact exacerbated by CEO Dick Costolo’s seemingly flippant attitude shown in response to critics. Scardino’s appointment is effective immediately and she will join the audit committee, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The 66-year-old’s experience as the head of Pearson, a publishing and education company, will bring helpful perspective as Twitter looks to strengthen its ties to the media industry.