The Airbnb logo Photo: IC

 
In order to strengthen its leadership team, Airbnb China has appointed a new chief operating officer (COO), showing the importance attached by the company to the Chinese market. 

Airbnb China confirmed with the Global Times on Tuesday that Siew Kum Hong has been appointed as COO, effective from Tuesday. He will manage the company's business operations and teams in China, and report directly to Airbnb co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer Nathan Blecharczyk, who also chairs Airbnb China. 

“The China team has grown significantly in recent years and the China COO role is an investment in how we work effectively at this scale,” said Blecharczyk, who underscored that China is critical to achieving Airbnb’s mission, according to a statement sent by Airbnb China to the Global Times. 

Siew joined Airbnb in 2012 as its APAC general counsel and subsequently became its regional director for the Asia Pacific region. Prior to Airbnb, he was the general counsel for Yahoo Southeast Asia, and a member of parliament in Singapore from 2007-09. 

“China holds a special place in my heart and is a critical part of the Airbnb community. I am excited to work with this incredible team to help this successful business scale new heights,” Siew said. 

The new appointment reflects Airbnb’s increasing confidence in the Chinese market, with the country having taken a lead in work resumption amid the coronavirus pandemic and the disruption to global tourism. 

According to Airbnb China, domestic travel continues to recover and the company said Chinese travelers were more active during the Dragon Boat Festival (June 25 to 27) than the May Day Holiday (May 1 to 5), with orders increasing by 30 percent. 

Global Times