NEW DELHI: Airbnb has announced the appointment of Amanpreet Bajaj as general manager for India, southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Bajaj brings a wealth of experience from playing a key role in the growth of Airbnb in India as country manager since 2015. In his expanded role overseeing southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan along with India, Amanpreet will be responsible for driving Airbnb’s strategy and long-term growth in some of Airbnb’s fastest-growing destinations in Asia-Pacific, which have grown on average almost 40 per cent YoY as of 2019.

A business leader and web entrepreneur with a proven track record of building and scaling teams, Amanpreet brings with him years of rich experience in the digital space. Before joining Airbnb, he co-founded Letsbuy.com in 2010, which was acquired by Flipkart.com in 2012.

“After a truly enriching five years at Airbnb, I am thrilled to take on an expanded challenge to ensure the long-term growth of Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan — some of the world’s most popular travel destinations,” said Bajaj. “I am looking forward to applying my learnings and experience to further engage and grow our communities of hosts and guests across this region, working hand in hand towards tourism’s much-needed recovery.”

Bajaj assumes this new role as Mike Orgill, the former general manager for southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, returns to his former role as Airbnb’s regional policy director for Asia-Pacific. He will start his new role immediately and continue to report to Kum Hong Siew, Airbnb’s regional director for Asia-Pacific and chief operating officer of Airbnb China.

“We are delighted to have Amanpreet take on an expanded role to lead Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan in addition to managing operations for India,” said Hong Siew. “Amanpreet has been instrumental in driving the growth of India as a key geography for Airbnb, and we are looking forward to partnering with him in this new chapter of his career, helping this region reach new heights.