Airbnb’s search to find a leader for its homes division is finally over.
by Elliott Mest
The company, which segments its business units into homes, trips, China and lux, named Greg Greeley as president of homes effective March 18. In his new role he will be responsible for Airbnb Plus, Airbnb Collections, the company’s Superhost program and the soon-to-be-offered Superguest program. He will report directly to Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky.
At Amazon, Greeley helped to invent and launch Amazon Prime in 2005, and served as VP of the service. He spent 18 years with Amazon, and notably helped the company launch business segments in India, Brazil and Australia. He also spent five years operating in Luxembourg and ran Amazon Europe. Greeley also led Amazon Worldwide Media, which was responsible for proliferating music,books, video, software and games.
Most recently, Greeley took on additional responsibilities for Whole Foods, an upscale grocery chain acquired by Amazon in 2017, before announcing his resignation from Amazon Monday.
Considering Airbnb’s business unit segmentation, Greeley’s placement in the “homes” segment makes a lot of sense. He built his career on expanding Amazon’s business across the globe, particularly in emerging markets, and Airbnb is at a point in its growth where it is looking to do the same. Similarly, Greeley’s experience in selling a digital service like Amazon Prime to these emerging markets will likely mirror his future endeavors at Airbnb, where he will be selling a digital tool with ties to established services.
“Even among an amazing and diverse slate of candidates, Greg stood out for his phenomenal customer-first approach, global operations excellence and a decades-long commitment to developing and mentoring talented leaders,” Chesky said in a blog. “I first met Greg back in 2011, and even then, his enthusiasm for what we were doing at Airbnb was evident.”
FROM HOTEL MANAGEMENT
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| Greg Greeley, formerly of Amazon Prime, is familiar with launching big ideas in emerging markets. |
The company, which segments its business units into homes, trips, China and lux, named Greg Greeley as president of homes effective March 18. In his new role he will be responsible for Airbnb Plus, Airbnb Collections, the company’s Superhost program and the soon-to-be-offered Superguest program. He will report directly to Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky.
At Amazon, Greeley helped to invent and launch Amazon Prime in 2005, and served as VP of the service. He spent 18 years with Amazon, and notably helped the company launch business segments in India, Brazil and Australia. He also spent five years operating in Luxembourg and ran Amazon Europe. Greeley also led Amazon Worldwide Media, which was responsible for proliferating music,books, video, software and games.
Most recently, Greeley took on additional responsibilities for Whole Foods, an upscale grocery chain acquired by Amazon in 2017, before announcing his resignation from Amazon Monday.
“Words can't express how excited I am to join the Airbnb team,” Greeley said in a statement. “I’ve used Airbnb for years, and the chance to work here and expand the positive impact its community is having around the world is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Considering Airbnb’s business unit segmentation, Greeley’s placement in the “homes” segment makes a lot of sense. He built his career on expanding Amazon’s business across the globe, particularly in emerging markets, and Airbnb is at a point in its growth where it is looking to do the same. Similarly, Greeley’s experience in selling a digital service like Amazon Prime to these emerging markets will likely mirror his future endeavors at Airbnb, where he will be selling a digital tool with ties to established services.
“Even among an amazing and diverse slate of candidates, Greg stood out for his phenomenal customer-first approach, global operations excellence and a decades-long commitment to developing and mentoring talented leaders,” Chesky said in a blog. “I first met Greg back in 2011, and even then, his enthusiasm for what we were doing at Airbnb was evident.”
FROM HOTEL MANAGEMENT
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