AOL Names William Pence Chief Technology Officer

AOL Inc. (NYSE:AOL) announced today that William Pence will join the Company as its Global Chief Technology Officer and as a member of its Global Operating Committee. Pence is an accomplished leader in the digital technology industry with more than 25 years of experience. He will lead all aspects of AOL's global technology strategy and play a key leadership role in the overall strategy and direction of the company. He will report to AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong and will be based in AOL's headquarters in New York City.

William Pence will join AOL as its Global Chief Technology Officer and as a member of its Global Operating Committee (Photo: Business Wire)

Pence joins AOL from WebMD, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer since 2007 and Chief Operating Officer since 2012. During his tenure at WebMD, Pence led many cross-company initiatives to drive innovative new products, improve operational efficiencies and create world-class user experiences for consumers and advertiser partners. Pence also drove technology and corporate operations improvement through automation, cloud technology and data management systems. He was instrumental in the mobile product efforts across WebMD’s properties as well as the company’s global expansion.

"AOL is building a global media and technology company, and we are excited to welcome the leadership and experience of Bill Pence to the company,” said Armstrong. "Bill is a proven driver of technology teams and products and he has been at the heart of revolutionizing the way humans interact in the digitally connected world."

“AOL was a pioneer of the Internet and has emerged once again as a trailblazer in shaping its future,” said Pence. “Technology is at the forefront of the AOL’s strategy, and I have watched with interest and admiration the company’s significant progress. I am thrilled to join the team at such an exciting time.”

Before joining WebMD, Pence had served as Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President at Napster since 2003. From 2000 to 2003, Pence was the Chief Technology Officer for Universal Music Group’s online initiatives and for the Pressplay joint venture with Sony. Previously, Pence spent more than a decade at IBM, where he held various technology management positions in research as well as in the software division, focused on guiding research and development and commercializing technology for IBM product divisions.

Pence received a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University.

Pence succeeds AOL’s former CTO, Curtis Brown, who will be leaving AOL following a transition period. Pence will join AOL on April 30.

About AOL

AOL Inc. (NYSE:AOL) is a brand company, committed to continuously innovating, growing, and investing in brands and experiences that inform, entertain, and connect the world. The home of a world-class collection of premium brands, AOL creates original content that engages audiences on a local and global scale. We help marketers connect with these audiences through effective and engaging digital advertising solutions.

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