Airbnb has announced the appointment of Tara Bunch as its global head of operations.
Bunch joins Airbnb after eight years at Apple, where she served as vice president of the company’s customer service and repair organisation, AppleCare.
Prior to joining Apple, Bunch was the senior vice president at Hewlett Packard, leading its global customer service and support operations.
In her new role, Bunch will oversee Airbnb’s customer service, trust and safety, and payments teams and report directly to Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky.
“I started speaking with Tara about joining Airbnb back in January and I’m thrilled she has agreed to join our team,” Chesky said.
“This is a challenging time for Airbnb and everyone in travel and as we go forward, it’s critical that we are one of the best-run companies in the world.
“Tara is a world-class operator and her expertise leading global teams will help us serve our community of hosts and guests when the world begins traveling again.”
Commenting on her appointment, Bunch said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Airbnb and look forward to building on its extraordinary history of creating unique memories for travellers the world over.
“Especially now, I believe the company’s purpose of creating economic opportunity and driving human connections is more important than ever before.”
Bunch’s appointment comes not long after Chesky broke the news to Airbnb employees that nearly 1,900 of them would have to leave, with the home-sharing giant’s revenue this year forecasted to be less than half of what it earned in 2019 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
