Yahoo! Europe has appointed Mitch Lazar as Managing Director of Connected Life, Yahoo! Europe. Lazar succeeds Geraldine Wilson, and will be responsible for business and marketing strategy, as well as the operations of the Connected Life business in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Yahoo! Connected Life comprises the companys mobile and digital home businesses, including strategic alliances with some of the worlds largest telecommunications companies and global device manufacturers.
Lazar has been part of the Connected Life team since November 2005, as VP of Commercial Services, with responsibility for driving business development and partner operations. He worked closely with Wilson on the development of mobile search and advertising partnerships with operators across Europe, including Vodafone, 3 Group, T-Mobile, O2 and Orange.
Based in London, Lazar will report to David Ko, senior vice president of Mobile, who says:
Mitch has played a pivotal role in driving our strategy and partnerships over the last three years. His knowledge of our business, coupled with his vast experience in digital media and marketing, makes Mitch the perfect candidate to continue to lead the Connected Life team towards success – providing consumers with indispensable starting points on their mobiles and continuing to be the monetization partner of choice for operators, publishers and advertisers.
Lazar was one of the founders of CNN.com in 1995. Two years later, he launched CNN mobile, the worlds first wireless global news and information service. He later rolled out Cartoon Network mobile services around the globe. Before joining Yahoo!, he was VP, Wireless and Emerging Technology at Time Warner, where he drove global strategy and mobile distribution efforts for Turner Broadcasting System and America Online.