Airbnb appoints Bunch as global head of operations
US: Airbnb has announced the appointment of Tara Bunch as its new global head of operations, a role which has been left vacant since previous COO Belinda Johnson stepped down to join the company’s board in March.
In her new role, Bunch will oversee Airbnb’s customer service, trust and safety and payments teams, and will report directly to Airbnb co-founder and CEO, Brian Chesky. She arrives from Apple where she spent eight years serving as the vice president of AppleCare, the company’s customer service and repair organisation.
There, Bunch was tasked with managing a global team responsible for all aspects of service and repairs for Apple customers worldwide, including online and on-device support and authorised service providers. She was also the senior vice president at multinational information technology company Hewlett Packard, where she led the global customer service and support operations.
At Airbnb, Bunch will manage global teams in helping to support hosts and guests in more than 220 countries and regions, as well as payments in 63 currencies.
Chesky said: “I started speaking with Tara about joining Airbnb back in January and I’m thrilled she has agreed to join our team. This is a challenging time for Airbnb and everyone in travel and as we go forward, it’s critical that we are one of the best run companies in the world.
“Tara is a world class operator and her expertise leading global teams will help us serve our community of hosts and guests when the world begins traveling again,” he added.
Bunch said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Airbnb and look forward to building on its extraordinary history of creating unique memories for travellers the world over. Especially now, I believe the company’s purpose of creating economic opportunity and driving human connections is more important than ever before.”
Bunch will begin work at Airbnb on 29 May.
