Lori Sobel promoted to head of global search at Google

Succeeding Sobel as the new managing director of Google Southeast Asia is Julian Persaud, who is currently the head of business development at Google Australia.

Persaud has spent the past four years at Google in various roles working with advertisers and partners to benefit their organisations.

Persaud will be moving from Google's Sydney office to the Singapore office by the end of 2009.

A press statement from Google stated that Sobel had played an instrumental role in setting up Google's Southeast Asia office in Singapore in 2007 and growing Google's business in the region.

In the statement, Persaud said he expected there to be exciting opportunities in Southeast Asia's internet and mobile markets. He added that the Google Southeast Asia team remained committed to its users, advertisers and partners throughout the transition period.

Sobel launched Google's Southeast Asia office in 2007. At the time she told Media that the company needed "to educate the market, by sharing success stories and the great returns our clients have enjoyed."