Jesse Hurwitz, who once served as the Head of Global Strategy for Mobile Ad Platforms of Google, has left the search giant to serve as AdBrain's Vice President for the United States, VentureBeat reported.

Hurwitz said Google offered to increase his pay so he will stay with the firm but he decided to take the offer of the London-based startup which enables advertisers to target ads on mobile devices and desktop computers at the same time. He will be taking an equity stake in AdBrain, the report said.

In an interview, he told VentureBeat, "This is not a job but a life and career. Mobile is going to be the next big thing, and I want the ecosystem to succeed. AdBrain actually cares about doing it right. Mobile is changing the way people engage. Data and privacy are going to drive the mobile space forward."

AdBrain, which recently obtained venture funding amounting to $7.5 million, is rapidly adding to its roster of clients as the mobile advertising space becomes more lucrative and competition get more intense. In fact, the hiring of Hurwitz, comes at a busy time for those operating in the mobile ad sector. Figures from eMarketer show that there are currently 500 players in the field trying to get their share of emerging industry which was worth more than $17 billion last year and is set to reach as much as $30 billion this year, the report said.

The space is also well-funded, with venture capitalists and private investors backing companies to the tune of billions of dollars. However, analysts caution that firms not going through the legal route could face an upheaval soon. Hurwitz told VentureBeat that even if most of the mobile ad companies in operations are following what is right the rate at which the sector is so fast that some bad eggs like questionable ad networks and third-party brokers that are seeking to leverage on the opportunity. Hurwitz said his mission of safeguarding privacy and making the mobile ad sector are the reasons that led him to work for AdBrain, the report said.