MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Ivy Ross, a high-level executive with an extensive background in design and marketing, took over Monday as head of Google X’s Glass business. She succeeds Babak Parviz, who is now developing a smart contact lens for Google.

Her appointment as Glass chief comes at a critical time for Google, which is poised to introduce Glass, its proprietary smartglass, to the mass market. Unlike Parviz, an academic who holds a PhD in electrical engineering, Ross has held high-level management positions at Fortune 500 companies including Gap, Disney Stores, Old Navy, Mattel, Calvin Klein and Coach.

Most recently, she served as chief marketing officer at Art.com, a specialty retailer of high-quality wall art. From 1989 to 1995 she served as vice president of design and development for Bausch & Lomb’s Outlook Eyewear business.

Ross was one of nine executives selected by Fast Company magazine to represent the new face of leadership. She was selected by Business Week magazine as one of the 25 most innovative global business leaders working within a corporation.