The Tech Coalition is pleased to announce the Board has appointed Dr. Erin Saltman as the organization’s next President and CEO. Erin will join the Tech Coalition on September 1, succeeding Sean Litton and following a global search led by the Board with support from an executive search firm.
Erin currently serves as Senior Director of Membership and Programs at the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, where she works with technology companies and partners to strengthen collective industry capacity and develop practical programs addressing complex online harms.
She previously served as Meta’s Head of Counterterrorism and Dangerous Organizations Policy across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She has also worked in practitioner and research roles across the technology, nonprofit and academic sectors, including at ISD Global.
Throughout her career, Erin has brought technology companies, researchers, civil society organizations and public-sector partners together to address evolving online threats. She will bring that experience to the Tech Coalition as it deepens industry collaboration and strengthens its work to protect children from online sexual exploitation and abuse.
“Erin brings a rare combination of technology policy experience, coalition leadership and program expertise. She understands how companies can work together on complex online safety challenges and how industry collaboration can translate into practical impact to meaningfully tackle harm.”
“The Board was impressed by Erin’s experience working across technology, civil society and academia, as well as her ability to build trusted relationships across a diverse global membership. We are confident that she is the right leader to build on the strong foundation Sean and the team have established and guide the Tech Coalition through its next phase.”
Liz Thomas, Chair of the Board of the Tech Coalition, Microsoft
Building on a strong foundation
Erin joins the Tech Coalition at an important point in its development.
Over the past five years, the Coalition has grown from a small group of companies into a global industry community of more than 60 members working together to prevent, detect and disrupt online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The organization has expanded its programs, increased opportunities for companies to share expertise and developed new forms of cross-industry collaboration, including Lantern, the Coalition’s secure signal-sharing program. Member companies have continued to strengthen their child safety practices, recording growing progress against the Tech Coalition’s industry-wide safety mileposts, advancing practical measures across prevention, detection and response.
The mission is more urgent than ever as offenders exploit new technologies, platforms and business models, and as companies face growing pressure to keep pace with rapidly evolving risks.
“I am honoured to join the Tech Coalition and its community of companies working together to protect children online. Throughout my career, I have seen that companies can make the greatest impact working together to share expertise, develop practical tools, and collaborate with a global multistakeholder community. I look forward to learning from, and working with a great team, our members and our partners to build on the impressive progress already underway.”
Dr. Erin Saltman
A planned leadership transition
Sean announced in March that he had decided to step down after five years as President and CEO. At the time, Sean agreed to remain in place until a successor had been appointed and onboarded to support continuity and a smooth transition. Sean will remain CEO until August 28, when he will handover to Erin.
The Tech Coalition’s work will continue without interruption throughout the transition, led by its experienced team and in close partnership with member companies.
