Kathy Savitt ’85, founder and chief executive officer of social commerce website Lockerz, was named the new chief marketing officer of Yahoo on Monday.
Savitt is the most senior executive hired by newly-installed CEO Marissa Mayer, who is looking to transform Yahoo to compete with Facebook and Google. As CMO, Savitt will be responsible for all of Yahoo’s marketing and branding worldwide.
“Yahoo is at an important and unique inflection point in its storied history,” Savitt said in a press release. “I believe passionately in Yahoo’s ability to inspire and delight users, partners and advertisers around the world and am excited to join Marissa in defining Yahoo’s next chapter.”
A history and government double major during her time at Cornell, Savitt served as executive vice president and CMO of American Eagle Outfitters and as a vice president of Amazon.com before she founded Lockerz. The rapidly-growing company, with more than 45 million users, focuses on selling products to men and women between the ages of 13 and 30.
“We are very excited to welcome Kathy to Yahoo,” Mayer said in a press release. “Her extensive experience in building and refining well-loved consumer brands like Amazon, American Eagle Outfitters and Lockerz will be incredibly valuable as we define Yahoo’s future.”
Original Author: David Marten