Yahoo! appoints CMO
Yahoo! has appointed Mollie Spilman as its chief marketing officer as it looks to steady the ship following the departure of several key executives in recent months.
Spilman has led marketing for Yahoo!’s Americas region since 2010, although she was appointed its senior vice president of commerce last month.
She replaces Elisa Steele, who was behind Yahoo!’s widely criticised 2009 “It’s You” brand campaign. Her role was effectively axed earlier this year as the company looked to decentralise its marketing activity in favour of more regional output.
That decision was made by Scott Thompson, Yahoo!’s former CEO who left the company this month after reports emerged he lied about obtaining a computer science degree in his CV. It later became apparent that Thompson is suffering with cancer.
The new CMO appointment was led by Yahoo!’s interim CEO Ross Levinsohn who is also reported to have made other management changes, including appointing Mickie Rosen as head of global media and commerce. Rosen was previously senior vice president of Yahoo!’s media network.
It is hoped the new executive team will renew growth at the company which has seen its advertising revenues pale in comparison to rivals such as Google and Facebook.
Separately, Yahoo! has confirmed it has reached a deal to sell back half of its 40% stake in Alibaba Group, China’s biggest internet company.
The deal is expected to raise around $7bn (£4.5bn), which will give Yahoo! the ability to make acquisitions or pay dividends to its shareholders. Both companies will continue to work together to help grow Alibaba’s global audience outside China.
Click here to read a Q&A from 2011 with Mollie Spilman and her predecessor Elisa Steele
