Lucio replaced CMO Gary Briggs two years ago, taking the reins six month after the Cambridge Analytica scandal hit.
In a Facebook post, Lucio explained that 2020 is a time of reckoning and that he wants to focus on helping marketing and advertising firms accelerate and improve their diversity and inclusion efforts. “Given the historical inflection point we are in as a country regarding racial justice, I have decided to dedicate 100% of my time to diversity, inclusion and equity,” he added, according to the publication. “Although these issues have been core to my personal purpose for many years and they were an important element of my work, I want to make them my sole focus.”
Lucio, who also noted that his mother’s death had an impact on his thinking, is departing at a time when the company has seen an exodus of advertisers seeking to force Facebook to do more to prevent hate speech on its platform.