Francoise Brougher brought her case against the San Francisco-based company in August. She says she was sidelined after raising concerns about sexist conduct at the firm.

Social media firm Pinterest will hand $22.5 million (€18 million) to a senior female executive who was fired after she pushed for equal pay. Former chief operating officer Francoise Brougher brought the gender discrimination case in August after being sacked in April.

Details of the settlement appeared in regulatory filings by the tech firm late on Monday. Brougher said she was also excluded from meetings when she raised concerns about fair renumeration and  sexist comments made in the workplace.

San Francisco-based Pinterest said the payment was part of the company's efforts to "improve its culture."

The case came amid other criticism from black female former staff.

Brougher, 55, worked at Pinterest from March 2018 until her firing in April of 2020. She ran a team of roughly 1,000 people.

In a statement, Brougher said that she welcomed "the meaningful steps Pinterest has taken to improve its workplace environment.

She will donate $2.5 million of the settlement to organizations that help women and minorities working in Silicon Valley.

Pinterest said it "recognizes the importance of fostering a workplace environment that is diverse, equitable and inclusive and will continue its actions to improve its culture.

Some of its staff walked out when Brougher made her accusations public.

Pinterest, launched in 2010, is a virtual bulletin board platform, with users decorating their boards with pictures showcasing interests including food, fashion, travel, and lifestyle.

It also enables users to link to online shopping and other services to find items they have "pinned".