A week of shake ups…
New year, new start, with big changes announced at Google, Apple, Channel 5 and Downing Street this week.
Earlier today, Google announced that its co-founder Larry Page will replace Eric Schmidt as CEO, a move that many will attribute to the search giant’s struggle to keep up with Facebook.
Page will manage Google’s day-to-day operations from 4 April, while his fellow co-founder Sergey Brin will be responsible for ‘strategic projects’ (potentially pushing its TV offering, which failed to make an impact at the CES).
Schmidt, meanwhile, will take on the role of executive chairman, focusing on external deals and partnerships.
The changes were made as Google announced revenues of $8.44 billion for Q4 2010 – an increase of 26% on Q4 2009. UK revenues reached $878 million. Overall, Google recorded revenues of $29.3 billion in 2010, up 24% year on year.
This week also saw Apple boss Steve Jobs depart for medical reasons. He will continue as chief executive of Apple and will be involved in any major decisions, but day-to-day running of the company will pass to Tim Cook – the current chief operating officer.
Apple also announced the news alongside its latest results. The company reported a record quarterly profit of $6 billion due to strong sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs. The iPad sold more than 7 million units in Q4 2010, while Mac sales increased 23% to 4.13 million. Consumers also flocked to buy Apple’s latest iPhone offering, pushing sales up by 86% during the period.
However, despite record profits, Apple shares fell more than 2% on Tuesday, when US trading resumed for the first time since the company announced Jobs’ indefinite leave.
The UK has also seen its fair share of appointments and departures this week. This morning, Andy Coulson resigned as David Cameron’s director of communications over News of the World phone hacking allegations.
Coulson insists he was not aware of phone hacking while he was editor of the paper, though one of his former reporters is about to say otherwise.
Thinkbox, the TV marketing body, has announced that David Brennan is leaving after four and a half years as its research and strategy director to pursue other opportunities.
Channel 5 has restructured its trading team, with the broadcaster’s new commercial sales director Nick Bampton bringing in Ross Belcher as trading director, Agostino Di Falco as marketing partnerships director, Andy Atkinson as head of trading and Sufia von Bismark as head of operations.
As a result of the new appointments, three of the existing Channel 5 sales team will be leaving by mutual agreement.
The changes at Channel 5 come a week after ITV restructured its commercial and online business. Fru Hazlitt, ITV’s new managing director of commercial and online, has hired Kelly Williams and Simon Daglish. As a result, Gary Digby, group commercial sales director, will leave ITV, as well as Simon Lent, trading director; Jeremy Lawrence, commercial director; Simon Orpin, creative solutions director; David Croft, director of regional sales, and Simon Poole, commercial director (sales) for ITV Breakfast.
Channel 4 has not missed out either – completing the “final piece of the jigsaw” in its executive management restructure, according to David Abraham. Gill Pritchard has been promoted to the new role of director of audience technologies and insight.
And that is without even mentioning the shadow chancellor Alan Johnson’s shock decision to step down over ‘personal issues’…