New Google Cloud Hires From SAP, Blue Yonder, US Bank

The executives include SAP veteran Hans Thalbauer, who joined the Mountain View, Calif.-based Google Cloud as managing director of its reorganized global supply chain, logistics and transportation solutions efforts.

Google Cloud tapped four new executives from SAP, Blue Yonder (formerly JDA Software) and U.S. Bank for senior industry roles as the No. 3 cloud computing provider continues its press on enterprise customers with industry vertical solutions.

The hirings include SAP veteran Hans Thalbauer, who joined the Mountain View, Calif.-based Google Cloud as managing director of its reorganized global supply chain, logistics and transportation solutions efforts, and former Blue Yonder executive Paula Natoli as director of supply chain, logistics and transportation solutions for North America and Latin America.

Transportation and logistics responsibilities previously fell under the jurisdiction of Google Cloud’s manufacturing industry team, but, given the importance of the supply chain sector amid the coronavirus pandemic, Google Cloud decided to expand the scope of the team and bring in more industry experts.

Thalbauer’s team will support Google Cloud’s vertical solution focus on six target industries -- financial services, health care, manufacturing and industrial, the public sector, retail, and media, telecommunications and entertainment – by creating a go-to-market strategy and roadmap for supply chain, logistics, and transportation business solutions.

“(Thalbauer and Natoli) bring a wealth of industry and customer experience that will ensure we’re well-positioned to address our customers’ supply chain and logistics needs,” said Lori Mitchell-Keller, Google Cloud’s vice president of industry solutions. “We’ll continue to grow the team and provide customers with solutions that drive digital transformation and tangible business outcomes.”

Thalbauer, who will report to Mitchell-Keller, said Google Cloud is in a great position to redefine supply chain management.

“The global pandemic has shown that supply chains are distressed due to the lack of visibility and predictiveness,” he said. “Companies are looking for agile, efficient and sustainable supply chain networks which are data-driven and resilient. I look forward to ensuring Google Cloud can help address our customers’ supply chain needs to help them foster even more innovation, productivity and collaboration.”

Thalbauer, who is based in California, has 20-plus years of supply chain experience at SAP in development, product and solution management, and go-to-market functions. He most recently served as senior vice president of industrial transformation initiatives for five months at SAP, leading the digital transformation of manufacturing- and distribution-intensive industries. He previously served as senior vice president of the company’s digital supply chain and Industry 4.0 solution portfolio for nearly four years and as senior vice president of business solutions for the extended supply chain for just more than two years. Thalbauer started at SAP as a product manager for supply chain planning in 2000.

Natoli, who will report to Thalbauer and lives in Maryland, formerly was vice president of product management at Blue Yonder, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based digital fulfillment platform and supply chain solutions provider, for about six months. She previously worked at JDA Software for almost 14 years, most recently as vice president of product management/product success and vice president of product management/supply chain planning.

Joining Google Cloud gives Natoli the opportunity to help leading companies around the world “harness the power of the cloud to make their supply chains more robust, agile and intelligent,” she said.

“We have a clear charter to deliver data-driven industry solutions that can help organizations modernize systems, make smarter decisions and create new business models,” she said.

New VP Of Global Financial Services

The former chief digital officer of Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank, Derek White has been hired as Google Cloud’s vice president of global financial services, also reporting to Mitchell-Keller.

He is responsible for setting the strategy and creating the future of Google Cloud’s financial services cloud, partnering with banks, insurance companies and other financial services entities to transform and help redefine their core businesses into digital operations, while also creating new solutions, products and capabilities.

“I’m thrilled to join Google Cloud and to help financial services organizations better serve their customers and become more agile in the market,” White said. “I look forward to bringing the power of the cloud to our financial services customers and partners around the world, furthering innovation and creating digital experiences that their customers demand.”

A 20-year financial services vet, White also worked as global head of client solutions at Spain’s Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, spent almost nine years at Barclays and was the technology ambassador for the city of London, England, promoting the city as a financial technology hub

“As we help the financial services industry transition to the cloud, I can think of no better leader than Derek White to accelerate digital transformation among banks, cap markets firms and other financial institutions,” Mitchell-Keller said. “Derek brings a wealth of expertise in financial services to this position, and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish for our customers under his leadership.”

New Managing Director Of Healthcare And Life Sciences

Joe Miles is now Google Cloud’s managing director of healthcare and life sciences, taking the lead on its go-to-market strategy while working closely with Google Cloud’s artificial intelligence and industry solutions, marketing and sales teams.

“Joe brings with him incredible industry know-how in delivering solutions for healthcare and life sciences customers,” Mitchell-Keller said. “At such an unprecedented time in our lives for health-related leadership, I’m excited to work closely with Joe to help healthcare and life sciences companies accelerate their digital transformations.”

Miles, a Chicago-area resident who will report to Mitchell-Keller, worked at SAP for more than 15 years, most recently as the general manager of global health sciences responsible for SAP’s life sciences and healthcare provider industry business units. He started at SAP as a life science industry principal in 2003.

With the increased spotlight on how the healthcare industry is responding to the pandemic, Miles said innovation and agility is more important than ever for healthcare providers and organizations.

“Helping providers and organizations answer this call is one of the biggest reasons why I’m excited to join Google Cloud, and I look forward to working closely with our healthcare customers and partners to develop solutions to solve the world’s biggest healthcare challenges,” he said.