Fionnuala Meehan to replace Ronan Harris as Google head

Google has appointed Fionnuala Meehan as its new site lead for Ireland, in place of Ronan Harris.

Mr Harris is moving to London to take up a new position as managing director for the UK and Ireland.

Ms Meehan, who is currently vice-president of EMEA, Google marketing solutions, will continue in her existing role as well as co-ordinating the company’s operations in Ireland.

“I’m honoured to be given the chance to represent this fantastic, diverse, fun and innovative site. The way we work with the community in Ireland is really important to us and I look forward to strengthening our relationships further. I can’t wait to further develop our culture and programmes in the years ahead.”

New challenge

A Trinity College Dublin graduate, Ms Meehan has been with Google for the past 10 years.

Mr Harris took over as head of Google Ireland in early 2015 after John Herlihy stood down. Mr Herlihy, who led the team at Google for a decade, has since joined LinkedIn as its vice-president and managing director for EMEA.

“I’m looking forward to taking on a new challenge of leading the UK and Ireland business. As one of the most sophisticated digital countries in the world, it’s an exciting time to help our advertisers make the most of what the web has to offer. I’m leaving Dublin with mixed emotions as I’m so proud of what we have achieved over the past few years,” said Mr Harris.

Google employs more than 5,000 people in Ireland.