Baidu appoints ex-Microsoft executive as president

Beijing, Jan 17: Baidu, China's largest internet search provider, on Tuesday announced the appointment of Qi Lu, Microsoft's former global executive vice president, as its President and Chief Operating Officer.

Lu, an expert in artificial intelligence, will be in charge of products, technology, sales, marketing and operations of one of the main Chinese internet firms, a company statement said.

He will work with the team headed by Baidu Chairman and Group CEO Robin Li, Efe news reported.

The new president of Baidu has over 40 patents registered in the US and has held various directors' posts in Yahoo and Microsoft.

"To achieve our goals, especially in artificial intelligence, which is a key strategic focus for the next decade, we will need to continue attracting the best global talent," said Li, calling Lu an authority on artificial intelligence.

Lu said he was excited to be part of Baidu's visionary artificial intelligence strategy.