Google hires three top female execs to roles backing UK firms with AI tech growth
Google has appointed three female senior new executives to drive forward the tech giant’s support for UK businesses.
The search engine behemoth said the appointees will report straight to Debbie Weinstein, the vice president and managing director for Google UK & Ireland, and will help focus on the use of AI technology in growing British firms.
This comes amid warnings over the rapidly changing nature of artificial intelligence, including concerns over its use for harmful purposes.
Major tech firms, including social media giants X, formerly known as Twitter, and Microsoft, have been experimenting with the technology, with even governments are now embracing it to improve efficiency and communication.
Vanessa Kingori will become the new managing director of tech, media and telecoms (TMT), joining after 15 years at Conde Nast, where she rose to be chief business officer off the back of Vogue’s turnaround.
Meanwhile, Sophie Neary will be the MD of retail and fast-moving consumer goods, jumping ship from Facebook owner Meta. She was previously an executive at cosmetics giant Boots and has been recognised for her work promoting gender equality.
The third hire is Dyana Najdi, who has started in her role already, after having been made MD for UKI partners & specialists. She spent more than 15 years at Google already. She has recently focused on YouTube while she started her career at Accenture.
Google’s latest hires come as it now employs more than 7,000 people in the UK, despite a major slowdown in big tech, with employers cutting jobs – and some turning to AI instead.
The search engine giant has however made a major commitment to London, having purchased the Central Saint Giles development for $1bn, by Tottenham Court Road. It is also building a new site in King’s Cross, and is working with Cambridge University on a major research project for the responsible use of AI.
“As the UK continues to solidify its standing as a global leader in AI, businesses across the country have an extraordinary opportunity to harness this powerful technology to transform their operations, expand into new markets, and achieve unprecedented growth”, said Debbie Weinstein.
“I’m delighted to have three incredibly talented new leaders join my team to help businesses unlock creativity, innovation, and new possibilities through AI-powered advertising solutions.”
Najdi said: “Throughout my Google career I have led multiple business functions while advocating for putting partners at the heart of our work.”
She added: “My team is committed to working with the industry to navigate how our products and partnerships can help to solve shared challenges so that we can focus on effectiveness, helping to power businesses at an unprecedented scale.”
Meanwhile, Neary commented that “having been a client of Google since 2006, I have long admired the company”.
“It’s the icing on the cake to now be part of that team. Together we will focus on delivering even more impact and innovation in order to futureproof an industry so close to my heart and one that is so vital to the UK economy.”
Kingori called the role an “exciting new frontier”, saying society is “living through an inflection point that will undoubtedly continue to evolve every business, career, and our lives more generally.”
Neary and Kingori will start in their roles next year.