Groupon
on Friday named Google executive Margo Georgiadis as its new chief operating officer, who will oversee the company's global sales, marketing and operations.
The appointment followed the abrupt
departure of Groupon President and COO Rob Solomon last month, which came at an awkward time for the company as it considers an IPO.
Groupon, which now offers daily deals in some 35 countries,
reportedly gets much of its sales from outside the U.S. The company's ability to promote growth abroad could help set it apart from rivals like LivingSocial, which recently took a $183 million
investment led by Amazon.
Upon news of Solomon's departure last month, Groupon CEO Andrew Mason sent an internal email to staff explaining that Solomon was moving back to "God's Country in
Woodside, CA" from Chicago, where Groupon is based.
Georgiadis most recently served as vice president of global sales operations at Google, where she led sales operations across regions and
channels.
At Google, Georgiadis also led the global technology teams that commercialize the company's products, including AdWords, AdSense and display among advertisers and publishers. While
at Google, she also led the local and commerce businesses, working to extend services like Checkout, Google Places and product search.
"Margo is a strong leader with a passion for helping
small business owners and consumers," Mason stated.
Solomon joined Groupon about a year ago, after serving as a partner at venture capital firm Technology Crossover Ventures, as well as an
exec at Yahoo. Solomon reportedly said he was better suited to navigating a company through a rapid-growth phase than when it has become large.
In its efforts to assemble a top-tier management
team, Groupon reportedly recently tried to bring on Jason Kilar, currently CEO of Hulu, as its head of worldwide operations. Groupon's board was also recently rumored to be looking for an experienced
technology executive to take the company to the next level.