Airbnb Co-Founder Nathan Blecharczyk Named Chairman of Airbnb China

Airbnb co-founder and chief strategy officer Nathan Blecharczyk has been named chairman of Airbnb China, also known as Aibiying — a clear signal that the company is serious about growing its business in one of the largest travel markets in the world. In his new additional role, Blecharczyk will travel to China on a monthly basis and work with Airbnb China staff of over 100 team members based in Beijing and Shanghai to offer support and leadership. Airbnb expects to more than double the number of team members it has in China within the next year. 'Upside to Localizing in China' Airbnb has made China a major focus for the company, especially within the last year. In 2016, it spun off a separate company, Airbnb China, and also agreed to share data on its China operations with local officials to comply with Chinese laws. In March, the company rebranded Airbnb China to Aibiying and said it was committed to investing heavily in its talent and infrastructure in the region. In June, it appointed Hong Ge as vice president of Airbnb China after a long search for a lead executive. And just last month, when Blecharczyk spoke