News
Former MSN Exec Braves the Slopes at Yahoo
- By Herb Torrens
- 11/04/2008
Yahoo, the advertising and search-engine giant that's taken a beating lately on the stock market, has hired a former Microsoft exec to help scale revenues. Joining the Yahoo team is Jeff Dossett, former MSN executive producer and general manager and a noted mountain climber.
According to statement issued by Yahoo on Monday, Dossett will help lead the company "to even greater audience heights."
Dossett takes the place of departing Senior Vice President Scott Moore, who helped build the company's media properties over this past year. According to the Los Angeles Times, Yahoo draws more than 70 million unique visitors per month with its news, finance and sports sites.
Another top Yahoo exec, Alan Warms, who is general manager of Yahoo News, is also reportedly leaving the company. In October, Yahoo announced it would be scaling back its work force by 10 percent by the end of the year.
Despite that bad news, Yahoo contends that its media properties maintain "the number one or two position in virtually every category in which they compete," according to a statement issued by the company last week.
As senior vice president, Dossett will oversee U.S. consumer experiences for Yahoo, reporting to Hilary Schneider, executive vice president of Yahoo U.S.
Dossett had been a mainstay at Microsoft since 1991. He is credited with building the MSN Media Network into a leading Internet revenue producer. During his tenure at Microsoft, Dossett took two years off to climb the Seven Summits, a mountain-climbing benchmark that includes the seven highest peaks on seven continents. He reached the summit of Mount Everest in May of 2004.
"Yahoo is the one of the first places consumers turn for information that matters to them most," said Dossett in a prepared statement. "I'm impressed by the unique market position that Yahoo has created for itself, and I can't wait to work with this team and build on this tremendous opportunity."
About the Author
Herb Torrens is an award-winning freelance writer based in Southern California. He managed the MCSP program for a leading computer telephony integrator for more than five years and has worked with numerous solution providers including HP/Compaq, Nortel, and Microsoft in all forms of media.