Kayak appoints Peer Bueller as CEO, Steve Hafner becomes Executive Chairman

This transition is based on internal promotions

Booking Holdings has announced the appointment of Peter Buerger as CEO of Kayak, while co-founder Steve Hafner will become Executive Chairman and take on a role dedicated to artificial intelligence innovation within the group.

Kayak is undergoing a governance change. Its parent company, Booking Holdings, has appointed Bueller as CEO of the travel metasearch engine provider, succeeding Hafner, who has held the position for twenty-two years. Hafner will become Executive Chairman of Kayak, while also assuming new responsibilities within Booking Holdings with a focus on accelerating artificial intelligence innovation.

This transition is based on internal promotion. Mr Bueller joined Kayak in 2016 as Chief Financial Officer, expanding his remit in 2021 to include the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO). Notably, he spearheaded international expansion and supported the growth of Kayak for Business, the brand's business travel platform, as well as leading several commercial innovation projects.

“Steve pioneered the metasearch category with the launch of KAYAK and delivered industry-leading results for KAYAK for many years, since our acquisition of the brand in 2013," said Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking Holdings. "We'll continue to rely on his entrepreneurialism, leadership and deep expertise in travel tech in his new role within Booking Holdings.”

"The perfect time to hand over the reins"

Steve Hafner will remain Executive Chairman with the mission of ensuring strategic stability for the Kayak teams, while dedicating more time to a cross-functional role within Booking Holdings focused on AI, a priority for the group. "It has been an honor to lead Kayak for the past 22 years." We have the speed of innovation, the ambition, and a highly committed team; it’s the perfect time to hand over the reins to Peer. He has been indispensable to our success.”

For his part, Peer Bueller outlines his objectives. “I will continue to focus on making KAYAK everyone's favorite travel app, while raising the bar on our user experience and turning our strategy into results. We see a lot of opportunity ahead, and we're well positioned to pursue it.”