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US: Airbnb has appointed former Tripadvisor and Booking.com executive Pepijn Rijvers as chief business officer, with responsibility for its Homes, Hotels, Global Markets and Enterprise Operations divisions.
Rijvers succeeds Dave Stephenson, who will leave Airbnb at the end of 2026 after eight years with the company. He has assumed the role with immediate effect and will oversee Airbnb’s core accommodation business as it continues expanding into hotels and other parts of the travel market.
He most recently served as chief business officer at Tripadvisor Group, where his responsibilities included the company’s consumer businesses, Experiences and Hotels.
Before joining Tripadvisor, Rijvers spent 13 years at Booking.com in senior roles covering accommodation supply, marketing and international expansion. He helped establish the platform’s homes business, led its performance marketing operations and later served as managing director of accommodations.
Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said Rijvers’ experience at Booking.com had given him an understanding of the differences between the two companies’ business models.
Chesky described Booking.com as a platform used primarily by travellers who already know where they want to go, while positioning Airbnb’s future growth around influencing destination discovery and helping guests decide where to stay and what to do during a trip.
Rijvers takes over from Stephenson as Airbnb continues moving beyond its traditional homes marketplace. Stephenson became the company’s first chief business officer after serving as chief financial officer for five years.
During his tenure, he helped lead Airbnb through the pandemic and its 2020 initial public offering. As chief business officer, he oversaw the development of its Hotels division and the launch of the updated Services and Experiences categories.
Stephenson will remain involved until the end of the year to support the leadership transition.
Airbnb has also reorganised the employee functions previously overseen by Stephenson. Fallon O’Connor, currently vice president of communications, has been appointed head of communications and people and will join the company’s executive team.
O’Connor will lead Airbnb’s recruitment, talent and belonging and development teams, which will form its People organisation. Communications and People will remain separate functions.
The company’s Performance and Rewards and Workplace Operations teams will move into Finance and report to chief financial officer Ellie Mertz. Corporate Development and Strategy will also join Finance, while Partnerships will move under global head of supply growth Hiroki Asai.
Highlights
- Airbnb has appointed Pepijn Rijvers as chief business officer.
- Rijvers will lead Homes, Hotels, Global Markets and Enterprise Operations.
- He previously served as chief business officer at Tripadvisor Group.
- Rijvers spent 13 years at Booking.com and helped develop its homes business.
- Dave Stephenson will leave Airbnb at the end of 2026 after eight years.
- Stephenson was Airbnb’s first chief business officer and previously served as CFO.
- Fallon O’Connor has been appointed head of communications and people.
- Corporate Development and Strategy will move into Airbnb’s Finance division.
- The changes support Airbnb’s expansion beyond its core homes marketplace.
