AOL appoints Stephane Panier as head, Bebo

AOL has appointed Stephane Panier as head of Bebo's global operations, responsible for scaling the social media network's operations.

Panier was previously VP and COO of Bebo. In his new role, Panier will report directly to Jon Brod, executive vice president, AOL Ventures.

Panier has more than a decade's experience spanning finance, operations and strategic consultancy. He has led talented teams of professionals for several of the world's most established and innovative companies across the US and Europe.

Before joining Bebo in January 2009, Panier worked for Google for six years in both senior finance and operations positions.

Prior to Google, Panier was a management consultant with Booz & Company, focusing on energy and hi-tech. He worked with a variety of clients ranging from utilities and large tech companies to start-ups.

His early career was played out at Areva, the French leader in design and construction of nuclear power plants where he spent five years rapidly advancing and diversifying his career. His first year was spent as a design engineer at Areva's US subsidiary in Lynchburg, Va. He then returned to France to complete his test engineer training, before going on to lead commissioning teams in nuclear power plants in both France and China.