By Princewill Okike
Vidhya Srinivasan, who has led Google’s ad business for years, will now lead the Ads & Commerce teams for the Alphabet company.
Srinivasan’s new role as vice president of ads and commerce includes Google’s shopping and payments products and services. She will continue to report to Nick Fox, senior vice president of knowledge and information.
“Vidhya has proven to be a force for smart, AI-driven innovation, with a strong track record for building products and operating with velocity,” Fox wrote in an internal note to employees seen by the media “Transforming the shopping and payments experience with AI is a critical way we deliver on our mission, and Vidhya’s leadership will help us create a more seamless experience for shoppers and businesses.”
Srinivasan steps into the position previously held by Maria Renz, vice president and general manager of commerce at Google, who will pursue other opportunities.
People shop more than a billion times daily across Google. There are more than 45 billion product listings within Google’s AI-powered Shopping Graph, according to company data. Shopping will remain a stand-alone experience.
In 2024, Srinivasan shared her thoughts with the Media on the future of seamlessly integrating ads into AI-powered overviews. “In my example, I could see helpful ads for activities in the island descriptions, hotel options, and more,” she wrote. “We could serve existing ads categories better, and significantly expand the categories where ads would be helpful.”
Last year, she also said AI and Google would help advertisers better tailor creative — for example, changing scenery in an ad from Paris to New York — to resonate with individual viewers dynamically. And, the company did.
Google’s strategy will not change with Srinivasan’s expanded role. Throughout the industry, she is known for her exceptional work in building products at Google and has been at the forefront of bringing AI to products and services across the company.
Commerce remains a key focus for Google, helping merchants and retailers transform their business with AI. It also helps consumers shop at every store across the web from one location. The company said it has confidence in her leadership and the ability to innovate.
Srinivasan led change throughout Google’s ads business and has been at the forefront of the company’s AI transformation. Leading the charge in AI by introducing innovative products like Performance Max and Demand Gen, new generative AI (GAI) capabilities for campaign and asset creation, and new ad formats on AI experiences in Google Search.
Discover more from The Industry
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
