Google has hired on a veteran retail guru, Ivy Ross, to leads its Google Glass strategy, specifically the fashion and wearability aspect. Ross has worked at big names including Mattel, Coach Gap and Bausch & Lomb.
The hiring comes within a week of Google putting Glass out for open retail purchase in the U.S. Prior to the retail launch Google ran a one-day sale to boost the ranks of its 'Explorers,' which are beta testers providing stories of how they use Glass.
The wearable is pretty glitzy already coming in several colors and styles, but as a device it's gotten mixed review in public with some opposed to what they believe are invasive aspects to the computing device.
Ross took to the job immediately this week, posting a letter to Explorers revealing that her goal is to find answers to "the seemingly simple, but truly audacious questions Glass poses."
"Can it help us look up and out at the world around us, and the people who share it with us?," she wrote.
Ross's most recent role was chief marketing officer for Art.com. She led product design for Mattel and was a chief creative officer for the Disney brand. Published reports point to her successful turnaround at Gap a few years ago.
The news comes on the heels of other leadership moves at top tech companies.
Samsung's top mobile design executive is leaving his current post but not the company. Chang Don-hoon, who headed up Samsung's mobile design team, will be replaced by Lee Min-hyouk, say reports. Min-hyouk has been serving as vice president for mobile design, according to a spokesperson. Chang will reportedly continue to lead Samsung's design center.
The 42-year-old Lee is responsible for the Galaxy handset.
Just two weeks ago news broke that former Samsung guru Paul Golden is going to serve as an adviser for HTC Chairman Cher Wang who is running HTC's marketing strategy at this point.
Golden served as Samsung's CMO for four years and his LinkedIn resume notes sales doubled from $5 billion to $10 billion and that he drove a four-fold increase in market share for the Galaxy brand. His accomplishments also included achieving a 50 percent increase in Samsung consumer brand preference and an over 50 percent increase in unaided brand awareness.
