Zynga names Google executive to board of directors

By Malathi Nayak

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Zynga Inc has appointed Regina Dugan, a vice president of engineering at Google, to its board, the online gaming company said on Wednesday.

Dugan, 51, also leads the advanced technology and projects group at Google that works on new inventions like a tablet that uses 3D motion and depth sensing capabilities.

In a blog post, Zynga Chief Executive Officer Don Mattrick said that Dugan's expertise would help Zynga offer "next generation entertainment experiences that span categories, platforms and devices."

Zynga, known for its "FarmVille" game, has set in motion a business revival plan by overhauling top management, trimming staff and introducing titles that can be played on smartphones and tablets.

Dugan becomes the second female director on Zynga's board alongside former Yahoo executive Ellen Siminoff. The board has a total of nine directors.

The announcement comes after two of its nine board of directors, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, stepped down in June.

Dugan, a former director of the U.S. Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency, also sits on the board of medical device maker Varian Medical Systems.

Dugan will chair the nominating and governance committee of Zynga's board and join the product committee, the company said.

(Editing by Bernard Orr)