Scoop: WaPo product chief Kat Downs Mulder joins Yahoo News

Kat Downs Mulder, formerly chief product officer and managing editor of the Washington Post, is joining Yahoo News as senior vice president and general manager, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Downs Mulder is the third longtime C-suite executive to leave the Post this year.

• Last month, the Washington Post's longtime tech and data chief Shailesh Prakash said he is leaving the company for a new executive role at Google.
• In July, CNN announced it hired Kristine Coratti Kelly, the Post's former chief communications officer and general manager of its events business, as its executive vice president and global head of communications.
• Downs Mulder, Prakash and Coratti Kelly have nearly 40 years of combined experience at the Post.

Details: Downs Mulder will oversee all of Yahoo News' global products, editorial and strategy across its entire portfolio of news, entertainment and lifestyle content.

• She starts later this fall and will report to Matt Sanchez, Yahoo's president and general manager.
• At the Post, Downs Mulder was responsible for the company's product development and audience growth efforts. Before that, she oversaw all user experience and design across the company's products.

The big picture: Downs Mulder joins Yahoo at a critical time. The company was purchased last year by Apollo Global Management from Verizon.

• Its new leadership is looking to invest in Yahoo's core brands, including Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Fantasy.
• Last month, Yahoo made its first acquisition under its new ownership when it bought The Factual, a company that uses algorithms to rate the credibility of news sources.