Yahoo on Monday announced that it has appointed Marissa Mayer, a former Google executive, to be its president and chief executive officer.

Mayer will also join Yahoo's board of directors and the appointment will be effective July 17, Yahoo said.

The appointment of Mayer signals a renewed focus on product innovation to drive user experience and advertising revenue at Yahoo, the company noted in a press release.

Mayer, the first female engineer hired at Google, joined the Internet search giant in 1999 as its 20th employee and led efforts for many of Google's most recognizable products including the search product and homepage.

She most recently served as Google's vice president of location and local services.

In a statement, Mayer said she was "honored and delighted" to lead Yahoo, one of the Internet's premier destinations for more than 700 million users.

"I look forward to working with the company's dedicated employees to bring innovative products, content, and personalized experiences to users and advertisers all around the world," she said.

Mayer, 37, will be Yahoo's fifth CEO in five years and the appointment is making her one of the most powerful women in the U. S. technology industry.

Mayer will fill the post left open by Scott Thompson, former Yahoo CEO who stepped down in May over academic credentials.

Earlier reports by U.S. media listed several candidates for Yahoo's top job, including Levisohn and Jason Kilar, the CEO of online TV service Hulu, but Mayer's name was never mentioned.

In an interview with The New York Times on Monday, Mayer said that she was first approached in the middle of June about the job after returning from a trip to China.

"It was a reasonably easy decision" to take the top job at Yahoo as it is one of the best brands on the Internet, Mayer told the newspaper, which first reported her surprising appointment before Yahoo's official announcement.

The choice of Mayer, who has the experience of managing Google' s many innovative products, is seen as a new opportunity for Yahoo to make a fresh start.

沪江英语快讯：7月17日消息，雅虎今日任命谷歌原高管玛丽莎梅耶尔出任公司新CEO，同时任命其进入雅虎董事会。该任命得到了雅虎联合创始人、公司大股东大卫费罗的支持。在记者发布会上，雅虎表示，梅耶尔的加入无疑是给公司的产品创新打入了一针强心剂。梅耶尔声明中说很荣幸能够加入雅虎，希望自己能够领导好这个团队。

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