Yahoo Inc is splitting the duties for its North American sales operations among four internal executives instead of replacing the sales boss that left the Internet giant nearly five months ago.

The new structure, which comes as Yahoo works to revive stalled revenue growth, will help the company better serve its various advertising customers and bring the sales team closer to Yahoo's senior management, said Hilary Schneider, the head of Americas business in an interview with Reuters on Monday.

In March, Yahoo's head of North American revenue and market development, Joanne Bradford, left to join privately held Demand Media.

Schneider said the new structure was not a result of challenges finding a replacement for Bradford, noting that the company had a lot of interest from very qualified people but found its internal candidates best-suited for the job.

Schneider said the four executives at Yahoo would report directly to her, thus eliminating a layer of management and bringing the sales operations closer to her and Chief Executive Carol Bartz.

Yahoo essentially is elevating the sales organization within the structure, Schneider said.

Yahoo is among the most popular destinations on the Internet and the largest provider of the graphical display ads that appear on Web pages, according to analysts. But the company's growth in users and revenue has stalled among competition from Internet social networks like Facebook and search giant Google Inc.

Shares of Yahoo, which closed Monday at $14, are down roughly 27 percent from their 52-week high of $19.12.

(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; editing by Bernard Orr)

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