Back in November, we reported that Sean Garrett, Twitter’s Head of Comms, would be stepping down from his post. As he tweeted at the time, for the first time in his career, he would be taking more than a two week break between jobs. Since Garrett stepped down, Karen Wickre, who was hired shortly before Garrett’s departure, has been filling in an interim role.
Today, Twitter moved to more officially fill the vacancy, as Gabriel Stricker, the Director of Global Communications & Public Affairs at Google, will become the new Head of Comms. Stricker tweeted the news on a seemingly brand new Twitter page. His official title will be VP of Communications.
When reached for comment, the new Twitter employee was reluctant to elaborate beyond what he’d said in his tweet, other than that he enjoyed his 5+ years at Google and is looking forward to new challenges at Twitter.
I’m thrilled to be joining Twitter — and thankful for my time at Google. Both are more than just companies. They’re movements.
— Gabriel Stricker (@gabrielstricker) April 5, 2012
At Google, Stricker headed up Search communications, specifically, where he was in charge of search and search properties, i.e. Maps, Earth, News, and Books, as well as use of IP and partnerships. Stricker is also, according to his Google profile, the author of “Mao In The Boardroom,” a best-selling book on guerrilla marketing. Stricker is also apparently a fan of alternative, if not poetic, approaches to communicating with the media and others. According to the New York Times, fellow Google exec Marissa Mayer was set to tweet the news that Google had acquired Zagat, but Stricker recommended that she instead opt for a haiku. And she did.
With any luck, Twitter announcements, blog posts, and press releases will begin integrating iambic pentameter. But don’t cross your fingers.
Image credit: Mediabistro & Nancy Lazarus