Google exec joins MapQuest as VP of Product

Vijay Bangaru becomes the latest hire as MapQuest charges on with its massive management shake-up

It looks like MapQuest is undergoing a big management shakeup. The AOL subsidiary announced Friday that it has a new VP of Product Management: Vijay R. Bangaru, who is the third executive hire in the last three months. Bangaru will join the company at its headquarters in Denver, where he will oversee mapping and location-based services, as well as the overall user experience with regards to Mapquest consumer products, such as mobile apps, developer tools and services, and more.

Bangaru was previously Product Manager at Google, where he was in charge of Google Docs and Google Apps. There, his responsibilities included overseeing feature specification, vision, user interface design, technical design, partner relations, and acquisitions. 

Prior to his time with Google, Bangaru was a Program Manager for Microsoft, where he worked on the WinFS project and strategy for the SQL Server. At one time he was also a software development engineer for Xilinx.

He’s also a smarty. Bangaru graduated summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo, with a BS in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering, and while in school he was awarded an $80,000 scholarship from William Tao and Associates, along with several awards for academic excellence.

“Bangaru brings to MapQuest deep knowledge of integrated product development with tenured experience in product planning and an aptitude for solving real world consumer needs,” said Mapquest SVP and GM Christian Dwyer in a statement. “Vijay has a strong track record of ideating and delivering products to market, and the MapQuest team is delighted to welcome him to the Denver office.”

MapQuest’s other recent exec hires include VP of Engineering Patrick McDevitt, who was previously VP of Community Mapping at TomTom. Anke Corbin, VP of Marketing, is another recent addition to MapQuest, joining the team following her tenure with Zenzi, where she was a Partner in Digital Marketing.

In July 2010, MapQuest debuted a new brand identity and user interface—indeed, a UI that looks strikingly similar to Google Maps (an effort, perhaps, to compete with the uber popular mapping tool). But the company isn’t wanting for users. MapQuest is currently the 20^th most visited site on the Internet, reaching every one in five users. As of March 2011, the company saw 42.7 million unique monthly visitors.