Bebo has hired Google (NSDQ: GOOG) industry marketing head Nicole Vanderbilt to the new role of international VP, as the social network continues to reconfigure following its absorption by AOL (NYSE: TWX). Reporting to Bebo and AOL People Networks president Joanna Shields, she’ll be charged with rolling Bebo out in France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Holland, Guardian.co.uk says. In Poland, Bebo already operates a little-known JV with the Gazeta newspaper.
With Shields and Bebo’s top team now having heeded the higher calling to run the AOL’s new People Networks unit – which is based on Bebo and includes AIM, ICQ, Goowy Media and Yedda – Shields has set about creating a new exec team for Bebo itself. Kate Burns left last month, just five months after joining Dailymotion as UK MD, to be its new European VP and MD. Bebo also tapped Sean Kane as its first mobile head and Kelly Brett as original productions head. With Shields having previously been a Google EMEA MD, who worked alongside Burns, Google’s first UK employee, it leaves Bebo’s top team with three female former Google execs.