Exclusive: Viator Officials Depart as TripAdvisor Installs Vacation Rental Execs as Replacements
Photo Credit: TripAdvisor is bringing in executives from its vacation rental business to run its attractions unit as veteran officials depart. Pictured is a helicopter taking in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, an activity sold on Viator. TripAdvisor / TripAdvisor
Skift Take
TripAdvisor CEO Stephen Kaufer has decided to make dramatic changes in the leadership of the company's attractions business, and that's not unusual for an acquiring company. Still, the move to import executives from the company's vacation rentals business to run a leading tours and activities business isn't exactly being welcomed with open arms by the rank and file.
More than two years after TripAdvisor acquired tours and activities leader Viator and several weeks after Viator CEO Barrie Seidenberg announced her resignation, at least three other Viator executives are leaving as TripAdvisor brings in members of its vacation rentals team to scale the business faster, Skift has learned.
In an internal email sent to the Viator/attractions staff Wednesday, and obtained by Skift, TripAdvisor CEO Stephen Kaufer reveals that Viator vice president, product, Scott McNeely, who's been with the company since December 2005, and Viator vice president, marketing Kelly Gillease, who likewise has worked at Viator since late 2005, will both be leaving TripAdvisor in March.
The departing executives didn't respond to requests for comment but resentment about the changes can be read into the fact that Gillease, for example, is leaving the company after only having been promoted to vice president, marketing, for TripAdvisor's attractions unit in October.
Vacati
