AOL’s global head of media sales Jim Norton is leaving the company to join Condé Nast in its most senior commercial role.

Norton will take on the newly created position of chief business officer and president of revenue at Condé Nast, reporting to president and CEO Bob Sauerberg.

He joins the publisher on 17 October, and will oversee all revenue operations for the company’s 22 brands, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour and GQ.

Former Google sales manager Norton first joined AOL in 2009 as head of advertising sales, before taking on the top global position in 2013. He is also vice chairman of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, and will become chairman next year.

“By organising the company’s numerous revenue operations under Jim, Condé Nast will be well positioned to quickly respond to the dynamic marketplace and our clients’ needs,” said Sauerberg.

“[Norton] brings a great understanding of the complexities of running a massive sales enterprise and the importance of data-led sales products to maximize our effectiveness. His digital and video media expertise, vast relationships with top global advertisers and commitment to business innovation, will be instrumental in our continued transformation into a next generation multi-media company.”

Norton himself added: “Condé Nast is second-to-none with its unique combination of premium brands, upscale audiences, rich data and branded content solutions.

“In every audience segment – food, fashion, beauty, design, culture, entertainment, technology and news, among others – Condé Nast is a category leader, and the potential to craft innovative, cross-portfolio marketing partnerships is limitless.”

Norton’s departure comes ahead of the impending merger of AOL with Yahoo, which Verizon is set to acquire in a $4.8bn deal. Yahoo’s chief revenue officer is former Amazon exec Lisa Utzschneider.

An AOL spokesperson said: “At AOL, we are deep in preparation for 2017 and the potential of adding another powerhouse brand to our global operations with the pending Yahoo acquisition. And we are constantly evolving our leadership team and putting the right people in the right roles to drive disruption and transformation in market, and build brands people love.

“We are deeply appreciative of all that Jim Norton has done at AOL over the last seven years driving the AOL media sales team and wish him nothing but success in his role at Conde Nast.”

Watch below as AOL chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong outlines his ambitions for the deal.