(TAN): Airbnb has announced that Belinda Johnson will be appointed to the Airbnb Board of Directors. She has decided to step down from her role as Chief Operating Officer. Johnson joined Airbnb in 2011 and has been integral to the growth of the Airbnb community into a global network of over 7 million listings on every continent except Antarctica.
Johnson said, “I want to thank Brian for his kind words and let everyone know how excited I am to be joining Airbnb’s Board of Directors. For all that we’ve accomplished, we are still at the beginning of our Airbnb story with a lot of work yet to be done. And I’m thrilled to help lead that work going forward as a member of the Board. This is an amazing opportunity both as a next step in my career, and for me personally.
“I’m extremely fortunate to be able to make this decision and as I look back at the last eight years, I am amazed at how much we’ve achieved in such a short period of time. Having been a part of the team that took the risk to help build this company has been the journey of a lifetime. I would not change a minute of it. Being elevated to the Board of Directors and contributing to the long term success of Airbnb while taking more time to be with my amazing family is an incredible opportunity.
“I’m particularly thankful to Brian who has supported me every second of every day, including in this decision. Without question, he has more vision and creativity than anyone I’ve ever worked with. I’ve watched him meeting after meeting redirect the outcomes not just to be bigger and bolder, but to ensure that they are consistent with our values and advance our mission.
“As I said, we’re just at the beginning of the Airbnb story and I’ve never been more confident about our future.”
Airbnb Co-Founder, CEO, and Head of Community Brian Chesky said, “Belinda was the first executive I ever hired. When I hired her, Airbnb was beginning to make noise with governments around the world and there were a lot of people who didn’t like us. This was counterintuitive to me at the time, but we went from a Secretary of War to a Secretary of State position, developing partnerships with communities and leaders around the world (500 and counting). We no longer debate ‘Will Airbnb exist,’ but rather ‘How will Airbnb exist?’
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“Airbnb’s business is complicated and after eight years of having Belinda in the boardroom as an executive, we couldn’t imagine her not being there.
This job is best done by someone who has an intimate knowledge of Airbnb and the tradeoffs that are involved. Belinda is the perfect person to fulfill this role, and as a board member, her role will be as important as ever to Airbnb.”
