Rachel Whetstone

Extracted Attributes

• Education

  University of Bristol, Benenden School

• Full Name

  Rachel Marjorie Joan Whetstone

• Occupation

  Public relations executive

• Citizenship

  United Kingdom

• Date of Birth

  1968-02-22

• Place of Birth

  Kensington, London, United Kingdom

Timeline

• Born in Kensington, London, England. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1968-02-22

• Returned to politics to serve as chief of staff to Conservative Party leader Michael Howard. (Source: BBC Radio 4)

  2003

• Joined Google as Head of Communications and Public Affairs. (Source: BBC Radio 4)

  2005

• Married political advisor Steve Hilton. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2008

• Joined Uber as global head of communications and public policy. (Source: Grokipedia)

  2015

• Departed Uber as senior vice president of communications and public policy. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2017-04

• Joined Facebook as vice president of communications for WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2017

• Appointed Chief Communications Officer (CCO) of Netflix. (Source: Grokipedia)

  2018-08-27

• Left Netflix after the company combined its communications and public policy departments. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2024-10

• Joined AI startup Sierra to oversee all communications. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2025-03

Rachel Whetstone

Rachel Marjorie Joan Whetstone (born 22 February 1968) is a British public relations executive. Whetstone was in charge of communications and public policy at Google for nearly a decade, and served as senior vice president of communications and public policy for Uber until April 2017. She then joined Facebook as vice president of communications of its WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger products. In August 2018, Whetstone became the chief communications officer (CCO) of Netflix. As of March 2025, she oversees communications at the AI startup Sierra. Whetstone has led communications at four of the fastest growing technology companies in history. In 2013, Whetstone was named one of the 100 most powerful women in the United Kingdom by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4. She has been featured on PRWeek's Power List several times, most recently in 2016 at number 14.

Web Search Results

• Rachel Whetstone - Wikipedia

  Rachel Marjorie Joan Whetstone (born 22 February 1968) is a British public relations executive. Whetstone was in charge of communications and public policy at Google for nearly a decade, and served as senior vice president of communications and public policy for Uber until April 2017. She then joined Facebook as vice president of communications of its WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger products. In August 2018, Whetstone became the chief communications officer (CCO) of Netflix. As of March 2025, she oversees communications at the AI startup Sierra"). [...] Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia ## Contents # Rachel Whetstone | Rachel Whetstone | | --- | | Whetstone in 2016 | | | Born | Rachel Marjorie Joan Whetstone (1968-02-22) 22 February 1968 (age 58) Kensington, London, England | | Alma mater | University of Bristol | | Occupation | Public relations executive | | Political party | Conservative "Conservative Party (UK)") | | Spouse | Steve Hilton ​ (m. 2008)​ | | Children | 2 | | Mother | Linda Whetstone | | Relatives | Antony Fisher (grandfather) | [...] "Rachel is a proven communications leader and a strong addition to the Netflix team. Her deep knowledge and international expertise will be invaluable as we bring Netflix and its expanding lineup of original content to an increasingly global audience." — Netflix CEO Reed Hastings Whetstone left Netflix in October 2024, after the company combined its communications and public policy departments. In March 2025, Whetstone joined the AI startup Sierra to oversee all communications. Axios "Axios (website)") reported that she is "tasked with positioning Sierra to disrupt the customer service space." ## Personal life

• Rachel Whetstone — Grokipedia

  Rachel Whetstone is a British communications executive specializing in public relations and policy for technology companies.(#ref-1)](#ref-1) She graduated from the University of Bristol and began her career as a policy advisor for the UK Conservative Party before transitioning to corporate communications roles.(#ref-2)](#ref-2) Whetstone served as senior vice president of communications and public policy at Google for nearly a decade, managing regulatory and reputational challenges.(#ref-3)](#ref-3) In 2015, she joined Uber as global head of communications and public policy, departing in 2017 amid a series of corporate scandals including allegations of sexual harassment and intellectual property disputes, though she denied involvement in related internal smear [...] Rachel Whetstone was born in February 1968 to Francis Whetstone, a Lloyd's of London underwriter with Tory affiliations, and Linda Whetstone, an economist influenced by the Chicago School who actively promoted free-market principles through involvement with organizations such as the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Network for a Free Society.(#ref-1)](#ref-1) She was the youngest of three daughters in a family that emphasized Conservative ideology and social responsibility.(#ref-1)](#ref-1) Her maternal grandfather, Sir Antony Fisher, built a fortune by pioneering intensive chicken farming in the United Kingdom after importing techniques from the United States post-World War II; he later channeled his wealth into establishing libertarian think tanks, including the Institute of [...] Rachel Whetstone was appointed Chief Communications Officer (CCO) of Netflix on August 27, 2018, succeeding Jonathan Friedland, who had been dismissed earlier that year following complaints about racially insensitive remarks.(#ref-12)](#ref-12)(#ref-36)](#ref-36) In this position, she oversaw global communications strategies, reporting initially to co-CEO Reed Hastings, as Netflix navigated rapid subscriber growth, international expansion, and increasing competition in the streaming sector.(#ref-21)](#ref-21)(#ref-31)](#ref-31) During her six-year tenure, Whetstone managed communications amid key company initiatives, including the introduction of ad-supported subscription tiers in 2022 and enforcement measures against account sharing starting in 2023, which contributed to reversing

• Family tree of Rachel Whetstone - Geneastar

  Rachel Marjorie Joan Whetstone (born 22 February 1968) is a British public relations executive. Whetstone was in charge of communications and public policy at Google for nearly a decade, and served as senior vice president of communications and public policy for Uber until April 2017. She then joined Facebook as vice president of communications of its WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger products. In August 2018, Whetstone became the chief communications officer (CCO) of Netflix. As of March 2025, she oversees communications at the AI startup Sierra. [...] Rachel Marjorie Joan Whetstone (born 22 February 1968) is a British public relations executive. Whetstone was in charge of communications and public policy at Google for nearly a decade, and served as senior vice president of communications and public policy for Uber until April 2017. She then joined Facebook as vice president of communications of its WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger products. In August 2018, Whetstone became the chief communications officer (CCO) of Netflix. As of March 2025, she oversees communications at the AI startup Sierra. [...] "Rachel is a proven communications leader and a strong addition to the Netflix team. Her deep knowledge and international expertise will be invaluable as we bring Netflix and its expanding lineup of original content to an increasingly global audience."Whetstone left Netflix in October 2024, after the company combined its communications and public policy departments. In March 2025, Whetstone joined the AI startup Sierra to oversee all communications. Axios reported that she is "tasked with positioning Sierra to disrupt the customer service space." Personal life

• BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Woman's Hour Power List - Rachel Whetstone

  ## Accessibility links # Rachel Whetstone Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Policy for Google | Fact title | Fact data | --- | | Professional Field | New media | | Born | 22 February 1968 | | Place of Birth | East Sussex | | Education | Benenden School; University of Bristol | Rachel Whetstone is senior Vice President of Communications and Public Policy for Google. She and her husband Steve Hilton, until 2012 chief strategy advisor to David Cameron, have been called the Tory power couple. [...] After studying politics at the University of Bristol she joined Conservative Central Office. She moved to the private sector working for Carlton Communications and Portland, a PR agency she co-founded. She returned to politics in 2003, serving as Michael Howard’s chief of staff following his election to leadership of the Conservative Party. She joined Google as Head of Communications and Public Affairs in 2005. ## Related Link ## New Media ### Carrie Longton and Justine Roberts ### Joanna Shields ### Martha Lane Fox CBE ### Rachel Whetstone ### Siobhan Reddy ## Related Content ### Similar programmes #### By genre: #### By format: BBC Radio 4 homepage ## Explore the BBC

• Rachel Whetstone

  After weathering the highest order of comms controversies, in 2018 Rachel Whetstone left her role as VP of communications for Meta’s WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger products, to become chief communications officer at Netflix. Today, she is responsible for leading comms on a global basis for the streaming giant as it tries to cement its position among consumers, and investors, in an increasingly competitive market. [...] Before joining Facebook, Whetstone led comms and policy for Uber, a job she left after a series of hits according to Recode — investors blaming bad press for Uber’s woes and tension between Whetstone and then-CEO Travis Kalanick among them. In 2018, she found herself embattled in a lawsuit, refuting claims by an Uber executive that she “destroyed his reputation," calling the claims “utterly false". Previously, Whetstone was director of corporate communications at Google as it was embroiled in a battle with the EU at the time over limiting the power of its services. Before making the leap to PR, Whetstone, well known for being as forceful as she is tough talking, was a player in British politics, serving as former Conservative party leader Michael Howard’s chief of staff. [...] All Jobs.jpg) Find the latest global PR and communications jobs from PRovoke Media. From internships to account executives or directors. See all our PR jobs here. Sponsored Content Content from PRovoke Media's premium partners. PRovoke Media's editorial series published in collaboration with partners. rachel-whetstone-2024-influence-100 # Rachel Whetstone ## Chief Communications Officer Netflix US

• Image

  

• Gender

  female

• Educated At

  University of Bristol

• Instance Of

  Q5

• Occupation

  politician

• Citizenship

  United Kingdom

• Date Of Birth

  2/22/1968

• Place Of Birth

  Kensington