Liz Reid has been appointed as the new Head of Search at Google, marking a significant change in the company’s executive team. Reid, who previously led up core search experiences, will now oversee all aspects of Google Search. This move comes as part of Google’s efforts to unify its Search organization under Reid’s leadership.
Reid, who joined Google in 2003, is highly respected within the company and is known for her deep product and technical knowledge. She played a key role in the development of Google Maps and Local Search and helped redefine modern-day mapmaking with the use of AI. In fact, she was the first female engineer in Google’s New York office.
In her new role, Reid will report to Prabhakar Raghavan, who appointed her as the lead of core search experience three years ago. In a statement, Google spokesperson praised Reid’s expertise and expressed excitement about bringing the Search teams together under her leadership.
Another significant change in the executive team is the appointment of Cheenu Venkatachary as the lead of Search quality and ranking. Venkatachary previously worked at Google from 2013 to 2014 before leaving for a company that was later acquired by Apple. He returned to Google in October 2022 and will now take over the role previously held by Pandu Nayak.
Nayak, who is considered a foremost expert on algorithms, ranking, and information systems, will now become the Chief Scientist of Search. In this role, he will continue to advise and focus on technical challenges in Search while remaining involved in Google’s broader efforts around content understanding and ranking.
In addition to these changes, Cathy Edwards, who led Google Apps, News, Discover, and ecosystem efforts in 2021, will be moving to the Long-term Bets team in Knowledge and Information. Edwards, who co-founded Chomp (which was later acquired by Apple), will help incubate new product ideas in partnership with leaders across the organization.
It remains to be seen how these changes will impact Google Search and overall search quality. However, Google often makes high-level changes within its executive teams, and it seems that the company has chosen smart and respected individuals to fill in the roles of those who are moving to other positions within the company.
Overall, these changes reflect Google’s commitment to continuous improvement and innovation in its Search product. With Reid at the helm, supported by Venkatachary, Nayak, and Edwards in their new roles, Google is poised to shape the future of search and deliver even better search experiences for its users.
