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US: David Holyoke, the head of commercial strategy at Airbnb, is leaving the company to join travel management and expense technology company, Serko, as head of unmanaged travel.
According to Holyoke’s LinkedIn profile, he left Airbnb in April after four years in his latest role, having previously served as head of worldwide sales and a general manager for Airbnb for Work over a four-year period.
While at Airbnb, he listed some of his key achievements as overseeing the lifecycle and scaling of Airbnb products, including Experiences, Gifting, Luxe, Monthly Stays and Rooms, surpassing pre-pandemic revenue levels inside 12 months, and broadening the company’s presence to 25 countries.
Having led the corporate travel side of Airbnb, Holyoke will take up his new role at Serko on 1 July, where he will be responsible for leading the company’s efforts to expand its reach in the small- to mid-sized travel market. This will include “strengthening partnerships”, including one with Booking.com for Business, which employs Serko’s Zeno travel management software.
Serko CEO Darrin Grafton said: “We have already achieved so much in bringing a leading SME travel product to market, highlighting the enormous potential ahead of us. David’s proven track record and expertise will be incredibly valuable in unlocking that opportunity.”
“We’re thrilled to have him onboard and can’t wait to see what he is able to help us achieve in this next stage of growth,” added Grafton.
Holyoke said:Â “I see immense opportunity for Serko in the SME travel market. The Booking.com for Business partnership has already demonstrated the power of using data and experimentation to create and deliver a winning user experience, which is crucial for scaling in this segment. I’m excited to help lead the efforts to take this offering to new heights.”
It remains unclear who will take over the position at Airbnb that Holyoke has now vacated.
