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Yahoo has poached top Amazon exec Lisa Utzschneider
Yahoo has hired Amazon'stop sales executive Lisa Utzschneider, the company has confirmed.
Utzschneider joins as the company's senior vice president of sales, Americas. She was previously Amazon Media Group's VP of global advertising sales.
In her new role, Utzschneider will be responsible for all the sales teams across North and South America. She will report directly to Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer.
Utzschneider will be replaced at Amazon by its VP of North American advertising sales, Seth Dallaire, according to AdAge.
Not much is known about Amazon Media’s ad business and in rare press interviews Utzschneider has been stereotypically tight-lipped about the size of the division or what percentage of group revenue advertising is responsible for. EMarketer estimated Amazon Media generated around $840 million in ad revenue last year.
Using that comparative, Yahoo’s display advertising business will be a step up for Utzschneider. The division generated $396 million in revenue in the last quarter alone, although this was down 5% on the same quarter on 2013.
Utzschneider will be joining Yahoo shortly after the company hired The Washington Post's chief revenue officer Kevin Gentzel as its head of sales. Industry sources have told Business Insider Gentzel is the kind of sales rep Yahoo needs to really kickstart its ad business.
Prior to Amazon, Utzschneider spent 10 years at Microsoft in various advertising roles, including general manager of Microsoft's sales and accounts services group.
Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.
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