Former Google Exec Marissa Mayer Moves to Yahoo

The battle between tech giants Yahoo and Google intensifies as one of Google’s top executives has transferred to Yahoo.

Marissa Mayer has been appointed Yahoo’s chief executive officer. She replaces Scott Thompson, who resigned as CEO last May 2012 following a scandal over resume discrepancy.

As the new CEO for Yahoo, Mayer is expected to move the company forward amid its financial slump, tougher competition with Google, and the lack of direction and vision for Yahoo.

What is in store for Mayer? Yahoo is seeking ways to continue staying relevant with the changing digital times. For years, it has failed to adapt to changes like a more robust search function and incorporating social media.

Mayer also replaces interim CEO Ross Levinsohn. Many industry observers expected Levinsohn to be a shoo-in for the position as he made some significant grounds from his two-month stint.  But the hiring of Mayer signals the company’s strategic move to turn around the pioneering organization.

At 37 years old, Mayer is just one of a handful of female technology heads. She joins the elite club composed of HP chief executive Meg Whitman and IBM head Virginia Rometty. Mayer is also Yahoo’s fifth CEO in just less than one year.

More eyes are on Mayer as she announced in her Twitter account that she is pregnant with her first child. She said that her baby is due on October 7 and that she might have to take a leave of a few weeks to prepare for her giving birth.