US: Expedia Group has confirmed the appointment of Scott Schenkel as its new chief financial officer [CFO].
Schenkel is set to replace Julie Whalen in the role next month, although she will remain in the position until that time to facilitate a smooth transition.
As CFO, Schenkel will be tasked with leading Expedia Group’s global finance organisation and will be based in Seattle, reporting directly to company CEO Ariane Gorin.
With more than 30 years of expertise accumulated in business and financial leadership across e-commerce, healthcare and technology, his experience spans financial planning, analytics, strategy, audit, mergers and acquisition [M&A], integration and process improvement. Schenkel previously served as the interim CEO of global e-commerce company eBay, and as senior vice president and CFO.
Expedia Group CEO Ariane Gorin said: “Scott joins Expedia Group with extensive financial leadership experience across global businesses, particularly in e-commerce. His expertise, operational acumen, and strategic insight will be instrumental as we strengthen our position as a global leader in travel.
“I look forward to working with Scott to drive our strategic goals forward. I also want to thank Julie for her significant contributions and dedication during her tenure as CFO, as well as for ensuring a smooth transition to Scott,” she added.
Schenkel said: “I’m honoured to join Expedia Group and excited about the opportunity to contribute to such an innovative and dynamic company. I look forward to collaborating with Ariane and the team to drive financial excellence and support the company’s mission of powering global travel experiences.”
It follows Expedia Group’s recent appointment of Shilpa Ranganathan as its new chief product officer, marking her return to the company to lead its product and design teams after 17 years away.
In October, the group appointed Ramana Thumu as its chief technology officer [CTO] to replace Rathi Murthy, who was fired in May last year for “a violation of company policy”. Thumu has been tasked with leading Expedia Group’s technology organisation, overseeing engineering, data, artificial intelligence, cloud platforms, and security, while capitalising on the company’s technology and platform investments in recent years.
As well as the appointment of Gorin as CEO last February to replace Peter Kern, the group also recruited Brad Bentley as chief operations officer and Jochen Koedijk as chief marketing officer in April as part of an executive team reshuffle.
Expedia Group’s three flagship consumer brands include Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo.
