Facebook has announced the appointment of Sheryl Sandberg as chief operating officer starting 24 March.

Sandberg has spent the past six years at Google, where she served as vice president of global online sales and operations managing the online sales channels for AdWords and AdSense.

"I have learned so much during my time at Google, and I've loved working with the people there," she said.

"With the great team at Facebook, we'll be able to scale this company into a global leader and enable Facebook users worldwide to communicate and share information better. I am thrilled to have this opportunity."

Sandberg will report directly to Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.

"Sheryl is a great manager who will help scale Facebook's operations globally," said Zuckerberg.

"Sheryl understands Facebook's goal of connecting everyone in the world and is passionate about building a business that will enable us to realise this mission."

Sandberg received a bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard College and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.