Uber hires Google exec as VP of global marketing after layoffs

Ride-hailing giant Uber has tapped veteran Google exec Thomas Ranese as its new vice president of global marketing.

Ranese spent almost 10 years at Google, where he was most recently its VP of global hardware marketing.

At Uber, he will be responsible for marketing all of Uber's products and businesses around the world, and also lead the brand, creative, research, and regional marketing teams.

His appointment comes on the heels of Uber laying off 400 employees from its global marketing team at the end of July.

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Ride-hailing giant Uber has tapped veteran Google exec Thomas Ranese as its new vice president of global marketing.

Ranese spent almost 10 years at Google, where he was most recently its VP of global hardware marketing. At Uber, he will be responsible for marketing all of Uber's products and businesses around the world, and also lead the brand, creative, research, and regional marketing teams.

Uber shared the news Tuesday in a blog post by Jill Hazelbaker, its SVP of marketing and public affairs, whom Ranese will report to. A spokesman confirmed the news to Business Insider.

“Thomas is a brilliant strategist and a beloved people manager with deep global marketing expertise,” Hazelbaker said in a statement.

Ranese's appointment comes just a few weeks after Uber laid off 400 employees from its global marketing team across nearly a doen countries, in what employees described as a “bloodbath” to Business Insider. The layoffs were part of Uber's efforts to streamline its operations and reduce spending, The New York Times reported.

Read More: Uber marketing employees describe this week's 'bloodbath' when the company laid off 400 employees in more than a dozen countries this week

At Google, Ranese founded the company's brand studio, and also led the marketing efforts behind the launch of the Pixel and the rebranding of Google Nest. Prior to Google, he was the first CMO of New York State, where he led the famed “I love NY” campaign. He has also worked at branding agency Interbrand and McKinsey.

“As Dara has said, marketing is more important to Uber than ever,” Ranese said in a statement.

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi combined the company's marketing, communications, and policy teams under Hazelbaker after former Uber COO Barney Harford and CMO Rebecca Messina left the company in June.

Moving forward, Uber's marketing team will be overseen by two senior leaders: one handling performance marketing, CRM, and analytics, and Ranese, who will handle product marketing, brand, and Eats, according to a spokesman.