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Google's chief finance officer quits to go backpacking

Sod this, I'm off, says CFO of seven years

Google's chief finance officer Patrick Pichette has quit his job to go backpacking.

In a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday, Google said Pichette, who is 52, had told the company he will retire. "The effective date of his retirement has not yet been determined," it said.

"Patrick indicated that he intends to assist in the search for a new CFO and ensure an orderly transition, which the company expects will occur within the next six months," it added.

In a post on his personal Google+ page, Pichette explained his decision.

"[T]he short answer is simply that I could not find a good argument to tell [my wife] Tamar we should wait any longer for us to grab our backpacks and hit the road," he said.

Google has reportedly disappointed analysts and investors of late. Revenue rose 15.3 per cent to $18.10bn (£12.8bn) for its fourth-quarter results. However, this was short of the $18.46bn (£13bn) financial analysts had expected to see. The firm's earnings similarly missed the mark, at just $6.88 per diluted share.

Pichette joined the company in 2008. He has worked in the telecommunications sector for nearly 20 years, including seven years at Bell Canada, which he joined in 2001. ®

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