Google has appointed David Sneddon as Vice President, Future of Work and Workforce Transformation, giving him responsibility for shaping how artificial intelligence will transform roles, skills and operating models across the company’s global gTech Ads organisation.
Sneddon announced the appointment on LinkedIn, saying he would lead the future of work and AI-driven workforce transformation for Google’s 10,000-person gTech Ads organisation. His new role is effective immediately.
He will focus on defining how roles, work and operating models evolve as AI moves from experimentation and pilot programmes towards scaled adoption and becomes increasingly embedded in day-to-day work.
Sneddon said his mandate includes putting the foundations of an AI-first people strategy in place, defining a long-term vision for the future of work and helping employees understand the value and implications of AI-driven transformation.
His responsibilities will also include workforce transformation across Google’s global technical and customer operations organisation supporting its advertising business. This will involve reshaping roles, skills, career paths, leadership capabilities and ways of working as AI changes the operating model.
A key part of his remit will be establishing human and AI guardrails, determining task allocation, redesigning roles and supporting organisation design. He will also work to move AI initiatives beyond experimentation and “pilot purgatory” towards scaled adoption with measurable outcomes.
Sneddon will oversee capability-building initiatives covering role clarity, career development, manager enablement, training and upskilling. He will also continue to lead Google’s global site leadership programme for its gTech organisation across 32 locations.
The appointment builds on more than 15 years Sneddon has spent at Google and more than three decades of professional experience.
Before taking on the new role, Sneddon served as Vice President, gTech Ads EMEA, leading Google’s EMEA advertising technical and operational organisation across 20 countries, overseeing more than 1,000 Googlers and 10,000 vendors.
During his tenure, he led major organisational and operating-model transformations, including a reorganisation affecting more than 1,000 Googlers in 2025 and further changes in 2026. He also made AI-powered transformation and productivity improvements a central part of the organisation’s change agenda.
Sneddon has also served as Vice President and internal site lead for Google Ireland, overseeing people priorities, culture, manager capability and AI-driven workforce transformation across the company’s 6,500-person Irish workforce.
His experience also includes serving on the boards of Google Ireland and Google Payment EMEA, with responsibilities spanning AI governance, European regulation, risk, compliance and responsible AI.
Sneddon said he does not view AI as inherently positive, highlighting the importance of balancing opportunities from the technology with appropriate guardrails.
“The role gives me the opportunity to tell great stories, help people navigate ambiguity and help the organization think carefully about both the opportunities and the guardrails,” he said.
He also pointed to curiosity and a willingness to pursue emerging transformations as key themes throughout his career.
“I have always been passionate about being at the front of the adoption curve,” Sneddon said, adding that following his interests rather than simply pursuing jobs had shaped his career.