After losing long-time Googler Benjamin Ling to social network Badoo, the search giant is seeing another exec head to the UK site. This time, Jeff Hardy, who was Head of Global Partnerships for Google+ Local, is leaving the company to join Badoo as VP of Partnerships and M&A.
At Google, we’re told Hardy was instrumental negotiating content deals and partnerships for Google+ local listings, including those with Open Table and other business listings relationships, an area that Google is clearly bulking up on post-Frommers and Zagat acquisitions. And interestingly, Hardy also worked directly for recently departed Googler and newly appointed Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer.
At Badoo, Hardy will spearhead all partnerships globally and corporate development and M&A. Badoo, whixh currently has users across 180 countries, has been best known for expanding into emerging markets like Russia and Brazil. Clearly it’s now growing in the US as well.