Booking Management Shakeup Leaves Gillian Tans Out as CEO of Flagship Unit
Skift Take
There's little doubt that Tans' abrupt departure, without any transition time, points to conflicts within Booking Holdings over the company's strategic direction.
Gillian Tans is out as president and CEO of Booking.com and the parent company's chief executive, Glenn Fogel, is assuming her role, effective immediately.
Booking Holdings announced these moves Wednesday, along with Tans sliding over to be Booking.com chairwoman, a newly created position.
Booking Holdings didn't specify a reason for the sudden change, but perhaps hinted at some of the factors in a quote from Fogel in the announcement that includes more collaboration of its once-siloed brands.
“I am excited by the opportunity to guide our largest business and drive even more alignment across the Booking Holdings brands as we continue on our mission to help people experience the world. We are executing against a large market opportunity with a clear strategic roadmap," Fogel said in that statement. "Working with the full Booking.com global team, I believe we can identify ways to drive more collaboration and integration to strengthen the company’s positioning for long-term success.”
To understand Gillian Tans' historical role in building Booking.com as an early employee, read The Oral History of Travel's Gr
