Cryptocurrency platform Coinbase has hired a Facebook marketing exec as its first chief marketing officer. Kate Rouch will oversee Coinbase’s global brand, product and performance marketing, the company announced in a blog post today.

Rouch had been at Facebook for nearly 12 years, most recently serving as global head of brand and product marketing for Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook app, public affairs and corporate, where she helped grow the consumer marketing team and was central to Facebook’s rebrand. During her Facebook tenure, the platform’s monthly active users grew from 500 million to 3 billion.

The news comes as cryptocurrency extends to a mainstream audience. Crypto platforms have been ramping up their marketing efforts in ways that are becoming more traditional, such as the use of celebrities. Still, there are a number of marketing challenges such as sustainability issues around crypto and crypto-driven technologies like NFTs. Platforms like Facebook and YouTube are also restrictive around allowing cryptocurrency ads.

Coinbase, with 68 million customers, is one of the largest U.S. crypto exchanges. In May, the brand hired The Martin Agency as its creative agency of record and in June hired Wavemaker as media agency of record. Coinbase’s ad spend has ballooned by 57% to $16.3 million last year, according to Kantar.

“Our industry is at a critical juncture: the crypto community is growing at a rapid pace and crypto companies are more visible to consumers than ever before,” wrote Emilie Choi, president and COO at Coinbase, in the blog post.

Facebook declined to answer who will replace Rouch. "Kate is a tremendous leader as is proven by her long tenure, and the impact she’s made during her 11+ year career here at Facebook," said Alex Schultz, VP of analytics and CMO at Facebook. "Having ‘grown up’ at Facebook alongside Kate, I am excited for her to have this awesome opportunity to apply her gifts to a new challenge. While we of course are sad so see her go, Coinbase is gaining a truly outstanding and talented CMO. We wish her well."

In a LinkedIn post announcing her news, Rouch shared a photo of her laptop with the Coinbase logo on it laid next to her newborn son.

“Coinbase is almost exactly the size Facebook was when I joined,” writes Rouch in the post. “It too is led by a visionary founder. In a new space. With a bold mission and huge potential to fundamentally change the world.”