Naughton

Google has hired a former president of Time magazine to help strengthen ties with Madison Avenue.

Google has hired former Time president Eileen Naughton to head ad sales for Google's New York offices, in an apparent bid to improve the search giant's sometimes strained relations with Mad Ave, reports AdAge. Naughton left Time in December after 15 years. "She's got great relationships with everyone in New York and was pretty much adored at Time," Mediaedge:cia managing partner George Janson is quoted as saying.

Naughton is scheduled to begin in a few months and will report to Google's eastern sales director, Penry Price. "We look forward to bringing Eileen's vast traditional and online media experience to Google," a Google spokesman said in statement.

As president, Naughton managed Time's global publishing operations, including brand management, business development, circulation and ad sales (see bio). Previously, she had served as VP of investor relations for AOL Time Warner, from August 2000 to January 2002, and before that as president of Time Interactive, where she led the evolution of online strategies for Time's core brands.