Well this is either a sign of confidence, or surrender. Headhunters are peppering internet ad execs with a pitch for a key new position at Yahoo. The role: senior vice president, under Yahoo's rising star, Sue Decker, responsible for signing up publishers to Yahoo's ad network. The job spec, from Russell Reynolds, the recruiters, is below. Now the hire could be an indication that Yahoo's Panama matching system will allow Sunnyvale to compete more keenly with Google. Yahoo, until the recent overhaul of its text ads, generated about 4 cents in advertising for every search query, compared with 11 cents for Google — which made it hard for Terry Semel's company to match its rival's proposition to publishers. The more cynical interpretation, from a tipster: "Looks like Yahoo is getting very serous about entering the ad network space... given the fact that they have no on-site audience growth, it makes sense."

Hi,

Trisha Colton here with Russell Reynolds. I work in the Media Entertainment and Convergence practice in San Francisco.

The reason for my email is to see if you might have ideas of people we should consider for a search we are working on for Yahoo!

Yahoo! is seeking a Senior Vice President to lead the Yahoo! Publisher Network (within Sue Decker's organization, the Advertiser & Publisher Group) to drive the publisher strategy, create and monetize new services to attract more publishers, increase sales, and differentiate Yahoo!'s value proposition in the market.

This is one of Yahoo's most important businesses. They are looking for a strong deal maker who understands the publisher and can lead big deals for their off-network global publisher strategy. This position is based in Burbank or Sunnyvale, CA — there is some flexibility on location. See the attached spec for more detail.

Thank you for your help in advance!

If I can help you please let me know. If you are looking, or interested in hearing about other opportunities, please send me your resume and a little information on what you are looking to do next.

Cheers,
Trisha

Contact information for this author is not available.