Google's Middle East Operations Chief Resigns

Google's Middle East Operations Chief Resigns

Google's head of operations in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, Matt Brittin , has stepped down after nearly two decades, leading the tech giant to a market value of $2 trillion.

Britten will leave his role early in the new year as the company shifts its focus to artificial intelligence and adapts to new regulations around the world.

Britten will remain with the company until a successor is chosen, and then will take some time to consider new ways to contribute to the company, according to press sources.

Britten’s resignation comes at a pivotal time in Google’s history, with Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google’s artificial intelligence division DeepMind, winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry , the company facing pressure over competition and antitrust issues, and the US Justice Department weighing whether to seek a breakup of the company to reduce its dominance of the search engine market.

Britten first joined Google as head of operations for the UK and Ireland in 2007, and has held several leadership positions since then, becoming vice president of Northern and Central Europe, then president of Europe, the Middle East and Asia in 2014 until his resignation.

Prior to joining Google, Britten spent several years as a consultant at management consulting firm McKinsey and was Chief Commercial Officer at Trinity Mirror, which was later renamed Reach PLC.