Sunnyvale, California — Yet another management shuffle at Yahoo. The Sunnyvale, Calif., company has given “David Ko,” formerly senior vice president for Yahoo Mobile, has been awarded to the Internet giant’s vast media properties in the U.S. to his portfolio, is now senior vice president of audience division, in a sign that the search provider plans to focus even more on mobile opportunities, the company said.
With purview over programming and more for the main Yahoo media properties, such as News and Finance, he fills a slot left by the departure of Jeff Dossett in May. Since Dossett’s departure, his responsibilities have been split by Jimmy Pitaro, who runs vertical audience experiences, and Tim Mayer, who is in charge of search and social applications. Both now report to Ko, who joined Yahoo in 2000, sources said.
Ko has rapidly climbed the ranks at Yahoo. After guiding Yahoo’s mobile business in Asia Pacific, he was promoted to SVP of mobile last September, before attaining the top mobile job in February. In his expanded role, Ko will run the development of Yahoo’s leading audience properties including News, Sports, Finance and Entertainment. He will also draw on his mobile experience to help Yahoo more tightly integrate mobile into the rest of the company, it said.
With Ko’s promotion, his new title will be SVP of audience and mobile for North America — and, in a statement, a spokeswoman says Ko will impart his “mobile expertise and proven ability to create innovative and engaging consumer experiences as Yahoo more tightly integrates mobile into the rest of the company and focuses on growth.”
Ko has been with Yahoo for nine years, including a stint as managing director and vice president for Yahoo’s Asia Pacific mobile business. According to Ko’s biography, he previously worked at Salomon Smith Barney as a senior associate and analyst.
He is a graduate of New York University’s Stern School of Business. Ko, who lives in San Francisco with his family, the bio notes, inexplicably “enjoys reading tech blogs.”
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