Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) has added some tech industry heft to its advertising efforts. The company announced it hired Ned Brody as its senior vice president and head of the Americas, putting him in charge of its advertising business on the two key continents. The appointment is effective immediately.

Most recently, Brody had been in essentially the same position as CEO of AOL unit AOL Networks, that company's wide-ranging advertising subsidiary. Prior to that, he was AOL's chief revenue officer.

In the press release heralding the news, Yahoo! quoted Brody waxing enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead of the firm. "With the largest set of premium inventory as a starting point, we've got a great opportunity to deliver the most effective scaled advertising solutions in the industry," he said.