Bebo hires Google exec to spearhead international drive

by Maisie McCabe, Media Week 01-Sep-08, 14:40

LONDON - Social network Bebo has appointed Google's former head of marketing, Nicole Vanderbilt, to the new position of head of international expansion.

Vanderbilt will be responsible for driving Bebo's business and membership internationally, initially focusing on France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. She will be based at Bebo's London office.

Vanderbilt was previously head of industry marketing in Europe, and later in India, for Google. Before working at Google, she held a number of senior positions at American Express.

Joanna Shields, chief executive Bebo, said she welcomed Vanderbilt's decade of experience in developing marketing programs for global companies.

Bebo has 11.9 million unique users in the UK and more than 45 million worldwide. It is ranked top social network in Ireland and New Zealand, and is number three in the US.

Bebo was bought by AOL in March and now forms part of the company's new People Networks business unit that also includes the AIM and ICQ personal communications networks, Goowy Media and social search and answer service Yedda.