Google is poised to appoint an internal Australian candidate to lead the search engine giant in Australia and New Zealand.
It is understood Google has a final shortlist of candidates for one of the most significant jobs in Australian media, with the frontrunner - a Google executive believed to have overseas experience - expected to be promoted to the role as early as this week. 
The appointment, which is understood to be awaiting final sign-off, would mark a change of approach by Google, whose previous three Australian managing directors come from elsewhere.
The incoming boss will oversee estimated advertising revenue of about $2 billion and become the public face of a company undergoing increasing scrutiny over how much tax it pays and its increasing power in the advertising market.
Google's previous Australian boss, Maile Carnegie, came from Proctor & Gamble and her predecessor, Nick Leeder, who runs Google in France, came from News Corporation. Mr Leeder succeeded former Fairfax executive Karim Temsamani, who is now president of Google for Asia-Pacific in Singapore.
Google's hunt was sparked by Ms Carnegie's surprise move to the newly created position of group executive for digital banking at ANZ, which was announced in   March.
The Australian managing director role is focused on sales and marketing for Google's search and display advertising, its long tail of websites and YouTube. Google's Australian engineering and development team reports to Google's headquarters in California.
A Google spokesman declined to comment.
Google released its Australian accounts on Friday, saying it paid $16 million of tax to the Australian Taxation Office in 2015, up from $11.7 million a year earlier.
It reported a slight fall in net profit to $47 million on revenue that was up 15 per cent to $502 million for the year to   December. The company's reported revenue remained well below its estimated advertising revenue in Australia because it reflects only commission payments it receives from Google Asia Pacific in Singapore.
The search engine giant also said it had restructured its business "to recognise revenue from the marketing and selling of certain services and products to Australian-based customers".
This would comply with the new multinational anti-avoidance law.