SAN FRANCISCO Google Inc. on Wednesday named Patrick Pichette, president of operations at Bell Canada, as its new chief financial officer (CFO), replacing CFO George Reyes after a nearly year-long search.

Pichette, a 20-year veteran of Canada`s telecommunications industry starts at the Internet leader on Aug. 1 and will take over as chief financial officer.

Last August, Reyes said he would retire as Google`s finance chief, following a bumpy five-year ride in which he was charged with managing the Web search company`s ferocious growth while upholding a policy of refusing to give financial forecasts.

Over the last seven years, Pichette was instrumental in moving Bell Canada, Canada`s largest communications network, from traditional circuit-switched technology to an all Internet protocol network. In 2002-2003, he served as CFO of Bell Canada, the operating unit of BCE Inc. Pichette was one of two senior executives to announce their departure on Wednesday from BCE, which is in the midst of a shaky $34 billion takeover by private equity groups led by the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan. Merger specialist