Friendster, one of the most popular social networking Web sites, recently announced a major change in its management crew, with Richard Kimber, the former regional managing director of South Asia at Google, stepping in as its new chief executive officer and also as a member of its board of directors.

The Web site, known as the third largest in the social segment in the world, registers more than 75 million users worldwide.

"Friendster is growing at an enormous rate in Asia Pacific and is clearly leading the competition. I believe this is partly because the internet is transforming the lives of everyone and it will probably become one of the greatest liberators of our time," said Mr. Richard Kimber, looking forward to fully begin his activities and talking about the company with great enthusiasm.  

He expressed his firm belief that the huge impact of the Web site will continue to grow, as there are many more ways of enriching their activity on a global level and also on their number one market, Asia. He explained that all the needed ingredients for their success are there, with the needed funds coming in, the perfect momentum and the proper engineering back-up to run everything smoothly.

Friendster received a $20 million check from its new investor IDG Ventures, which is a global network of venture capital funds. The company announced that the funds will be used to consolidate its position on the Asian Pacific region and also work at enlarging its user base.