PRESS: Google appoints EMEA head Biondo as Russian office head

MOSCOW, May 27 (PRIME) -- Google appointed in late March Carlo d’Asaro Biondo, head of its Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) strategic relationships, as CEO of the Russian office instead of Yulia Solovyova, business daily Kommersant reported Friday.

Google’s spokeswoman Alla Zabrovskaya said Solovyova, who was heading the Russian office since early 2013 until late March, “continues working as director for business operations on EMEA developing markets.”

Solovyova is still in charge for operations in Russia. “It’s also a part of her new expanded duties,” Zabrovskaya said. It is a usual practice when senior executives are moved to regional offices to back up local teams and better align with the global strategy, the spokeswoman said.

Biondo joined Google in 2009 after leaving France’s Lagardere Active Digital. Viktor Shkulyov, a co-owner of publishing house Hearst Shkulev Media, a former partner of Lagardere, said Biondo “was the first to start developing an Internet direction there.”

Google is quite successful on the Russian mobile search market. The company’s share was at 56.3% in April as compared with 42.3% held by local giant Yandex, according to LiveInternet. In total search, Yandex led with 57.6% against 36.0% of Google.

The U.S. company has problems with Russian officials because of the law obliging Internet companies to localize personal data of the country’s citizens. Besides, Google is currently at loggerheads with the Federal Antimonopoly Service.

An unnamed investment consultant and a person familiar with Google told the daily that the U.S. company is assessing risks of staying in Russia. “When commercial business is suppressed, businessmen will say that they should not work in Russia or any other country. It’s logical,” one of them said.

“Google’s head office is afraid that Yulia Solovyova could be under pressure. To make her safe as a manager and a Russian citizen and ensure a higher level of communications with officials, they appointed Biondo. He’s been maintaining his contacts in Russia at the government level over recent years,” the source said.

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