GroupM China readies for big year in search

Shanghai - Former Google China executive Sara Ye has been hired by GroupM China to lead its Search Marketing efforts with immediate effect.

Based in Beijing, Ye will be responsible for the strategic and operational development of the group's search marketing teams in China, which runs across GroupM's four media brands MAXUS, Mediacom, Mediaedge:cia and Mindshare.

Sara will have a dual reporting line to Meg Wu, managing director of GroupM Interaction China and Robbie Hills, CEO of GroupM Search Marketing Asia Pacific.

Hills said Ye's mix of experience at Google China and the USA and at various advertising agencies will provide strong leadership and strategic guidance to its search and agency teams.

"Our search marketing operations in China across MAXUS, Mediacom, Mediaedge:cia and Mindshare are growing at an ever increasing rate. We are looking forward to a very strong year in search marketing from China," he said.

Prior to joining GroupM, Ye spent four years at Google, first with the AdWords International team at Google's California headquarters and was later posted to Beijing to work on product marketing at Google China. Prior to Google, she was an Internet marketing consultant in San Francisco.