WebProNews

Lanzone out, Safka in as IAC swaps Jims

A management reorg at Barry Diller's IAC has Match.com's former CEO Jim Safka heading up the Ask.com division, with outgoing CEO Jim Lanzone heading for the world of venture capital.

A few weeks ahead of IAC's 4Q 2007 earnings call on February 8th, the company has made some changes at the search engine and around parent company IAC.

IAC announced today Lanzone will remain as an advisor during the changeover as Safka settles into the position. Lanzone plans to join Redpoint Ventures, as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence.

"Jim Lanzone was the principal executive responsible for Ask.com's turnaround over the last two years. His passion for innovation and his every day dedication to the business and its people have been everything anyone could ask for," Diller said in a statement. "He is a superb executive and leader and I'm hopeful we can be associated in the future."

We at WebProNews have always appreciated Lanzone's candor and knowledge, and hope Safka will emulate his predecessor. The well-traveled Safka has stops at AT&T Wireless, E-Trade, and several other firms along with his prior stint running the dating site in his background.

Another executive, Scott Garell, has been named President of Ask.com. He will manage the search engine's global operations. Garell formerly held the position of CEO of IAC Consumer Applications & Portals, including Fun Web Products, Evite, and Pronto.