eBay Classifieds Australia hunts for new chief technology officer

eBay Classifieds group (eCG) is on the hunt for a CTO in Australia for a newly created role to oversee technology strategy at Gumtree, CarsGuide and Autotrader.

A spokesperson for Gumtree told iTnews the new CTO position is being filled as part of a business transformation strategy in Australia, which will create an integrated team across Gumtree, CarsGuide and Autotrader.

The new CTO will report directly to the current managing director for Gumtree Australia, CarsGuide, and Autotrader, Mark Kehoe.

They will be responsible for the technology direction across the three brands “in accordance with the company’s goals and long-term business strategy” and for assisting “customers to find whatever they’re looking for through a robust and innovative technology platform.”

“The new CTO will help to achieve cross organisational optimisation for Gumtree, CarsGuide and Autotrader with significant experience in e-commerce and online marketplaces,” the spokesperson said.

“The successful candidate must be able to respond to changing trends and technologies to maximise new market opportunities for the business.”

The spokesperson added the business is seeking someone with “a strong understanding of the latest innovations in technology”.

Norway's global online classifieds publisher Adevinta acquired eBay’s classifieds unit for almost A$12.8 billion in July last year.

In June, Adevinta announced its new executive team once the acquisition of eCG was completed.

Changes included eCG’s Brent Mclean appointed to chief product and technology officer at Adevinta, where he reports to Adevinta chief executive Rolv Erik.

Mclean has spent over 11 years with eCG and became eCG's global CTO in 2013 before taking on the role of vice president and global chief product and technology officer in 2016.