Google is strengthening its agency and partner operations across Asia-Pacific with two senior appointments, naming Caroline Oates to lead its Agency and Partners Team in Australia and New Zealand (AuNZ) and Aaron Boekestein as managing director of Agency and Third-Party Ecosystems for the wider region. The leadership changes will expand the coordination between Google’s local market teams and its regional partner network, while creating additional support for agencies and technology partners across the region.

Oates will take charge of Google’s commercial strategy and joint initiatives involving media agencies, technology businesses and creative partners in Australia and New Zealand. She is expected to assume the position later this month, bringing extensive experience from her 14-year career at the company.

For the past nine years, Oates has led Google’s YouTube business in AuNZ, overseeing advertising and programmatic sales. Her experience also extends to industry collaboration, as she serves on the board of IAB Australia and helped establish the Video Futures Collective.

Meanwhile, Boekestein will oversee Google’s unified Agency and Third-Party Ecosystems organisation across Asia-Pacific, managing the network of agencies and partners from Singapore.

His appointment builds on his previous responsibility for Google’s Ads Partnerships team in Australia and New Zealand. With more than two decades of experience spanning agency leadership, marketing and technology, Boekestein brings a broad industry background, including 10 years in senior Asia-Pacific leadership positions across Australia and Singapore.

During his time in AuNZ, he expanded Google’s Honours programme into Accelerate with Google Expert and broadened the company’s Creator Marketing Partner coverage, strengthening its engagement with partners across the market.

Beyond the leadership changes, Google expects the new structure to deliver greater regional support for its Australia and New Zealand operations. The company plans to invest in partner enablement, specialised pre-sales engineering and automated capability pathways to strengthen the resources available to agencies and other partners.

Mel Silva, Google’s managing director and vice president for Australia and New Zealand, welcomed the appointments, describing the elevation of local executives into broader responsibilities as a reflection of the company’s continued focus on its regional partnerships.

Silva said Google was proud to see its local leaders take on new roles across AuNZ and Asia-Pacific, adding that the changes reinforced its commitment to supporting partners throughout the region.