Jessica Powell, Google’s well-regarded head of communications, is leaving the tech hub for graduate school, reports Recode. She is currently enrolled and has been going to classes for the last two weeks, according to a memo she sent the staff.
The well-regarded executive, who will fully leave the company for good Sept. 1, has been a close adviser to Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Recode writes that Powell was instrumental in communicating the company’s transition into the Alphabet structure. She also had a big hand in what Pichai calls “Al-first” computing, writes Recode.
In a statement about Powell, Pichai said it is a rare person who wants to face a challenge beyond the already challenging role of leading communications at Google.
“I am extremely grateful for all that she has done for Google, most especially for leading a strong comms team that represents us so well and thoughtfully to our employees and the world,” Pichai said in the statement.
Powell has been at Google for more than a decade, and took over the top communications job in 2015 after Rachel Whetstone left for a job at Uber.
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