Google has appointed its new country manager for SA, after going five months without a top executive to run local operations.
Luke Mckend will join Google SA as country manager on 1 November, says the company.
Confirming speculation that a South African will take the reins, the company adds that Mckend is originally from SA and has been with Google since 2006, working as an industry head in Google's London office.
In the UK, he was responsible for managing a wide variety of businesses across the classified, property, restaurant, education, dating and job sectors, according to the company.
“I am looking forward to being back in SA, and to helping South African enterprises take advantage of the online world to communicate with their customers and grow their businesses,” says Mckend.
“The Internet is set to play a critical role in the country's socio-economic development, and Google is committed to investing in SA and to making the Internet locally relevant for all users.”
Meir Brand, Google's regional director for SA, Israel and Greece, says: "Google sees great potential in the South African market. We are excited to have Luke Mckend bring his expertise and knowledge to help fulfil that potential."
Prior to joining Google, Mckend was the commercial director of start-up tech company iGrasp, which grew rapidly, being recognised as one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the UK in 2005, says Google.
Lost heads
In April, the company's local head, Stephen Newton, stepped down from the position to start his own endeavours in the country.
Newton was appointed to the helm of the local arm of Google about a year ago, and his resignation came as a surprise. He took over the top job from Stafford Masie, who also did not have a long run as the head of the business, keeping the position for only 18 months.
Since Newton joined, Google's local presence had grown, with the company investing in mobile advertising platform Admob, which has a local arm, as well as the introduction of some of the more coveted Google products from the international market.
Working up to the Fifa Soccer World Cup, held earlier this year, Newton pushed the implementation of Google Street View, and had been in discussions with local providers to bring in local content. He had a strong focus on bringing as much local information to local Internet users as possible.
Google's local communications head, Julie Taylor, says the company had seen several good candidates. However, she adds: “It's important to find the best person in the South African market, who understands the online space.”
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