2020 Vision: Travel's movers and shakers to keep your eyes on

There are hundreds of leaders in the industry with a big year ahead of them.

Some have huge strategic decisions to make in 2020, while others are overseeing brands with issues to resolve.

There are also some that may find themselves elsewhere by the end of the next 12 months.

As part of our December theme month (2019 And Beyond), we take a look at 20 movers and shakers in the industry who may catch your eye in 2020.

Anthony Tan (CEO at Grab)

A ride-hailing app in 2012, Grab is now a multi-faceted lifestyle service, growing rapidly across Southeast Asia and showing no signs of slowing down. Anthony Tan has led the company from the start, raising more than $9.1 billion and garnering a valuation of $14 billion as it adds partners and services that broaden its reach. Grab now offers food delivery, digital payments, entertainment and deals on hotels, airport transfers and experiences through partnerships with brands such as Klook, Agoda and Booking.com. Sounds to us like Grab is well on its way to becoming a comprehensive platform to meet users’ everyday needs in an intuitive, frictionless way.

Ariel Cohen (CEO at TripActions)

Ariel Cohen’s story about founding TripActions is a fairly common one for entrepreneurs: he set out to solve a personal pain point – frequent business travel. But in this case, the story just four years later is very uncommon. TripActions is now valued at more than $4 billion having raised $450 million in funding. So the pressure is ramping up for the company to deliver on its promise to “become the default for corporate travel” in the next year. The company now manages travel for more than 3,000 companies and has added services for global enterprises, including TripActions Consulting and TripActions Meetings and Events. So the question is not if there will be developments in 2020, but what they will be.

Axel Hefer (CEO at Trivago)

For the first time in its 15-year history, Trivago will get a new CEO with chief financial officer Axel Hefer elevating to the role previously held by co-founder Rolf Schrömgens. Hefer will need to act fast to turn around the hotel search engine, with the company suffering from a recent decline in revenue, net income and referrals. Another critical role for the incoming Hefer will be managing the relationship with Expedia Group, which invested $632 million in the company almost seven years ago to the day (December 21, 2012). Trivago remains its only interest in the metasearch model.

Barry Diller (chairman at Expedia Group)

Just because the 77-year-old frontman for InterActiveCorp hasn't been mentioned as frequently in the same sentence as Expedia over recent years, it doesn't mean he's no less influential. Far from it. After his very public admonishment of those leading the company's strategy earlier this month, Expedia Group chairman Diller has a big job on his hands as he and the board look to find a replacement for the ousted CEO, Mark Okerstrom. Such a task is not easy, even for a seasoned hirer and firer like Diller, with pressure to maintain the group's position in the market but also understand the need to evolve.

Dara Khosrowshahi (CEO at Uber)

It isn't easy running any company - and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. But running Uber must come with a health warning (despite the healthy pay packet) as it is a business that faces multiple challenges. Khosrowshahi would certainly have known all of this when he took on the job in the summer of 2017, so we shouldn't feel sympathetic, but how he steers the company through license removals (London), a drivers' rights referendum (California) and to reach his promise of profitability by 2021 will be fascinating to watch from afar.

Eric Breon (CEO at Vacasa)

Vacasa has wanted to play alongside the big brands of the industry for a long time. It now has its chance to show what it can do. With a recent investment round of $319 million and some acquisitions under its belt, Breon needs to illustrate to both the market and its investors that the company can have a much bigger role alongside the likes of Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and many others. Its portfolio remains in the lower five-digit range - something that funding will help boost.

Gillian Tans (chairwoman at Booking.com)

What's next for Tans, following big news in June this year featuring one of travel's few women CEOs? As one of the first employees at Booking.com in 2002 and a well-respected executive, Tans' move sideways from the CEO role to a chairwoman position with many of the same responsibilities (vision, operations, growth initiatives, etc.) was an unexpected and, to many, confusing development. How long she remains in that peripheral role is an interesting question and will obviously be down to her - but it wouldn't be a surprise if she resurfaces elsewhere next year (probably after June).

Greg Webb (CEO at Travelport)

Gordon Wilson's departure from Travelport after it went into the hands of private equity and off the public financial markets earlier this year was not a surprise to anyone. But perhaps the hiring of ex-Sabre exec Greg Webb to the role was far less predictable. He takes over a company with the inherent complexities and challenges of private equity ownership and one still trying to find a role in a market with two bigger competitors and fundamental changes to the ecosystem coming from multiple angles.

Jane Sun (CEO at Trip.com Group)

The change in name from Ctrip to Trip.com Group earlier this year was not some fancy branding exercise by overpaid marketing consultants. As has been abundantly clear for a number of years, Jane Sun (fully backed by chairman and co-founder James Liang) has her eyes on the international markets after dominating the domestic market of China for years. She has slowly managed to position Trip.com Group into a global marketplace that now has three other major players: Expedia Group and Booking Holdings (which, incidentally, is a big investor in Sun's company). Small, regional acquisitions or investments around the world are guaranteed. Whether she'll press the button on what would be a major development (fully buying out TripAdvisor, after the investment announced last month) could be her biggest decision in 2020.

Jeff Bezos (CEO at Amazon)

Amazon does not have a dedicated vice president or general manager of travel. In fact, very little is known about who is pulling the strings behind the scenes with regards to its ambitions in the industry. This executive guesswork has come into sharp focus after flights and bus services were added to its India website during 2019. Even if the decisions are being made by regional managers, Bezos will ultimately be the figure who decides how deep and how wide the e-commerce giant wants to go when it truly enters one of the biggest industries on the planet. The ramifications of those decisions will be felt everywhere.

Jeff Hurst (senior vice president and general manager at Vrbo)

Putting to one side that the recently installed Hurst will eventually have a new boss to impress at the Expedia Group mothership (see Barry Diller's entry above), overseeing Vrbo will not be a walk in the park given the continued pressures that it faces. First of all, the high-profile rebrand needs to be a success - plus Hurst will be overseeing the ongoing tweaks to the strategy (such as driving to 100% instant booking) and the brand's role alongside fellow consumer-facing site Expedia. And, of course, don't forget the ambitious Booking.com and Airbnb piling on the competition. Luckily for Hurst, he's got nine years of experience at the company from which to draw.

* Check out this panel discussion featuring Hurst in the PhocusWire Studio at the Phocuswright Conference 2019.

Johannes Reck (CEO at GetYourGuide)

The mainstream tech press has an inherent desire to lavish praise on founders and brands when they capture huge funding rounds. GetYourGuide (for the moment - hello, Klook) holds the record for attracting the largest wedge of investment ever in the tours and activities sector. But alongside the plaudits there are now major questions for a brand that, many believe, has now effectively priced its way out of ever being acquired by some of the obvious players in the industry. There is a fairly sizable focus being placed on its branded tours service, but there inevitably will need to be something else required to grow the company further to satisfy its investors and push it towards what could now be a contender for a small- to medium-size IPO in a few years.

* Check out this panel featuring Reck during The Phocuswright Conference 2019.

Lindsay Nelson (president of core experience at TripAdvisor)

It would be fair to say that Nelson has had a major impact since her arrival at TripAdvisor in November 2018. The job title does not do her actual role much justice (she covers the chief marketing officer, chief product officer and chief commercial officer positions) but those that are working within TripAdvisor and many that have interacted with her in the market have come to similar conclusions: Nelson is extremely smart, driven, fair, imaginative and destined for bigger things. Perhaps there is a bit of succession planning going on at TripAdvisor Towers, but equally there are always very senior roles that crop up over the course of a year, requiring decisions to be made by the individual or the employer eager to retain top talent.

* Check out Nelson's interview with PhocusWire during our Marketing Masters theme month.

Margaret Richardson (vice president of trust at Airbnb)

It's going to be a big year for Airbnb. Brian Chesky and co. (including lawyers and finance folk) will have their hands full with the company's public listing. But there is, arguably, a bigger issue for the company to handle next year. Richardson, promoted to her new role in September, needs to get Airbnb back on track after a turbulent 2019. A mass shooting at an Airbnb property in October triggered the launch of a string of new checks and balances to the service. Why such tools were not in place in the first place is just one question that Richardson will need to address in 2020.

Mark Okerstrom (ex-CEO at Expedia Group)

To have your strategy cited as the reason for your sudden departure from the top job at one of the biggest travel brands in the world must be a hard one to take. Still, once the dust settles (and inevitable financial shackles are no longer in place), Okerstrom may well attempt to rekindle a love affair with the travel industry that stretches back to 2006 and make a return to management. There will be quite a few points that Okerstrom wants to prove.

* Check out Okerstrom's interview in the PhocusWire Studio at The Phocuswright Conference 2019 (we think it may have been his last as Expedia Group CEO).

Ritesh Agarwal (CEO at OYO Hotels & Homes)

OYO’s news came fast and furious in 2019, and we expect more of the same in 2020. Check the company’s website - it lists nearly 800 job openings around the globe - to get a sense of its ambition. CEO Ritesh Agarwal claims the company is opening two OYO-brand hotels every three days. Skeptics wonder if the OYO model is sustainable – and if its $10 billion valuation is fact or fiction created with the help of its largest investor, SoftBank Vision Fund. Agarwal says the company’s revenue is rapidly growing while net losses – at least in its most mature market, India - are decreasing. But OYO’s challenges go beyond its bank account as some hotel partners in markets around the world have cut ties over complaints about increasing fees and poor support.

* Check out Agarwal's appearance at The Phocuswright Conference 2019:

Sean Menke (CEO at Sabre)

Menke doesn't face the same challenges that his counterpart has at Travelport (as noted above). In fact, Sabre is in a fairly good shape from the perspective of its underlying financial and market position. But he may have a sizable problem on his hands if big decisions being made elsewhere do not come in Sabre's favor. After calling its bluff in August this year, the Department of Justice in the United States announced its intention to sue Sabre over its proposed acquisition of Farelogix. A large part of its airline distribution strategy around NDC is centered on that deal, so Menke will have to rethink what to do if the DOJ rules out the acquisition.

Tony Fernandes (group CEO at AirAsia)

Fernandes has made no secret of his desire to develop the airline beyond its traditional operations. There have been talks of Airasia.com for all things travel and entertainment, and BigLife as more of a lifestyle site, but Fernandes will need to think about the positioning of the platforms so as not to lose sight of the core business. Not exactly super apps, but something different. What is fairly certain is that the big-thinking Fernandes will move quickly to push this strategic opportunity and will have learned from the carrier's previous experience of non-air activities through its short-lived joint venture with Expedia Group.

The Hot 25 Startups 2020

Life as a startup founder is difficult: ambition is high; workload is probably even higher; and expectation from the market and customers can create a pressure-cooker atmosphere for a fledgling business. The 25 companies on our list of startups to watch in 2020 were selected for their proven ability to innovate, grow customers and expand geographically, as well as the quality of leadership teams. We will be watching closely.

ALL OF US!

The upper echelons of the travel industry need to take all the talking about diversity and inclusion to the next level in 2020. Our sister brand's recent Gender Equity Study, for example, illustrated just how far things need to go before opinions shift and genuine change comes. Some companies, including Expedia Group and our own publishing house (Northstar Travel Group) are starting to make the move through the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion program. The conversation, as heard here on PhocusWire and at Phocuswright-hosted events, must continue but also evolve. There are many women and men trying to push and shape the agenda, but there is a lot of work to be done before the industry sits on the right side of both perception and reality.

* Check out this discussion recorded in the PhocusWire Studio at The Phocuswright Conference 2019.