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Worldwide: Airbnb.org has announced that Christoph Gorder will lead the organisation as its new executive director.
Gorder joins Airbnb.org after serving as the chief global water officer of charity: water for more than a decade, where he was responsible for the organisation’s expansion in 22 countries and helped provide clean water to more than 15 million people. He also led technology innovations to increase transparency and the long-term impact of charity:water’s clean water programmes.
Prior to joining charity: water, Gorder spent 14 years with Americares, leading disaster response operations and managing large-scale healthcare programmes around the world.
Airbnb.org, established as an independent non-profit organisation in December 2020, is governed by its board of directors, who play an instrumental role in guiding its work and mission.
Airbnb.org has worked alongside Airbnb for more than a decade to connect people in times of crisis to free, temporary stays with the support of hosts and non-profit organisations around the world. First inspired by a single host called Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Airbnb.org [alongside Airbnb] has enabled thousands of hosts to open their homes to people displaced by natural disasters and humanitarian crises.
In the space of three years, Airbnb.org has provided free, emergency stays for more than 220,000 people, including refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, people impacted by the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, and more.
In August, the organisation announced that Catherine Powell, global head of hosting at Airbnb, and Rich Serino, a former deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA], had joined Airbnb.org’s board of directors.
Airbnb.org’s board of directors now consists of leaders spanning the technology, design, non-profit, academic, and global humanitarian sectors. The board includes: Joe Gebbia [co-founder of Airbnb, chairman of Airbnb.org, and co-founder of Samara]; Jennifer Bond; Sharyanne McSwain; Melissa Thomas-Hunt; Jocelyn Wyatt; Catherine Powell; and Rich Serino.
