Director, retail Google UK

The US has led the way in many respects when it comes to etail and this American director for UK retail has brought his experience, and very good teeth, from across the pond to help retailers here catch up.

Moving from Amazon to Google three years ago, Fitzgerald’s affable character and in-depth knowledge of the sector has made him a real asset. There is always a love/hate relationship between Google and retailers vying for the top position on its site. Fitzgerald makes sure UK retailers work hard to be found at the top of any searches.

Google Instant launched in September and is the latest change to the way Google works. This is keeping the heads of ecommerce and search engine optimisation busy.

A relationship with Google is vital for any business serious about online and Google is in constant conversation with retailers on how they work online and what challenges they face. Microsoft made its big play for share of the search market with Bing but Google is still where most retailers’ traffic is coming from and this is unlikely to change any time soon.

If you accept that Google is the search engine that matters most, then Fitzgerald is the man retailers need to know there.