Twitter snags another Googler in Asia, as Commerce MD Aliza Knox becomes its first pan-Asia exec

Twitter has appointed its first pan-Asia executive (excluding those in Japan) after it nabbed Aliza Knox, formerly Managing Director of Commerce for Google in Asia Pacific, its second high-ranked Google Asia executive in six months, Techcrunch reports.

The appointment comes some five months after the the poaching of influential advertising exec Shailesh Rao. Knox, who tweets at @alizaknox, was responsible for Google’s Business and Sales for Shopping, Offers and Wallet in the region so it goes without saying that she has a strong background in commerce.

Techcrunch says that Knox was Google’s highest ranking woman in Asia, but soon she’ll be the first exec in Twitter’s Singapore-based pan-Asia office, which operates separately to the country-focused Japan team.

The hire is an ideal match for Twitter which is continuing to ramp up its revenue-generating with Asia very much a key part of the plan. While it is making progress in Japan — where CEO Dick Costolo previously said it would increase its sales staff and efforts — the rest of the vast region has little on-the-ground representation, despite four of its countries ranking in the world’s the top ten Twitter markets — Indonesia, India, Japan and the Philippines.

Twitter’s hiring of Google executives is anything but common and that’s also true in Asia, despite both companies smaller teams there.

The microblogging service picked up Rao, who served a dual role as managing director of Media and Platforms across Asia Pacific and managing director of Google India, back in Feburary. Unlike Knox, the Canada-born exec has not remained in Asia following his move, which saw him take up the US-based position of Vice President, International Revenue at Twitter.

We’ve reached out to Twitter and Google for comment.

Update: Google declined to comment while Twitter is yet to respond.

Image via Born 1945 / Flickr