Friendster, one of the pioneers in the social network space, is following the lead of some of its rivals and snagging a Google executive to fill a high ranking position.

Richard Kimber, formerly Google's head of South Asian operations and business partnerships, is now Friendster's CEO. Kimber is the latest Google executive to leave the search giant for a high ranking post at a social network, following in the footsteps of Sheryl Sandberg, who left to become COO of Facebook.

Friendster watched its popularity wane as Facebook and MySpace gained attention, but the social network is No. 1 in Asia and still has a strong hold in countries like Singapore and the Philippines. Of its 75 million registered users, 55 million live in the Asia-Pacific region, according to PaidContent.org.

The social network recently raised $20 million in venture capital, which will go toward new offices and employees in Asia.