LinkedIn appoints Hoole as European PR chief

by Ben Bold, Brand Republic 04-Jun-08, 12:00

LONDON - Professional networking website LinkedIn is reinforcing its brand drive across Europe with the appointment of Cristina Hoole as European director of PR and marketing.

Hoole, who was previously head of PR at online payment firm PayPal, will be responsible for extending the LinkedIn brand across the region.

She will support the firm's European managing director Kevin Eyres, who is driving LinkedIn's strategy to build on its member base (it currently has more than 1m UK members and 5m European members).

Eyres said: "At the start of the year, we opened our first European office with the intention to consolidate LinkedIn as the professional network of choice in Europe.

"Cristina's experience in expanding and driving the growth of online brand PayPal will prove invaluable in helping deliver LinkedIn's ambitious growth plans."

LinkedIn also recently strengthened its European business with the appointment of Henry Clifford-Jones as director of European media sales.

At PayPal, Hoole oversaw the establishment of the brand as one of the most popular means of making online payments. Before joining PayPal, she was head of retail and consumer PR at Visa Europe.