SiteMinder names tech industry veteran as CEO

Hotel guest acquisition platform SiteMinder has appointed its first CEO.

Sankar Narayan will assume that role beginning in January. He joins SiteMinder after serving as chief operating officer of cloud accounting software company Xero.

Narayan will work alongside SiteMinder founder Mike Ford, who will remain as managing director and assume the new role of executive chairman of the board with a focus on the company’s future strategy and product innovation.

“We are incredibly pleased with our global expansion and significant leadership position to date,” Ford says.

“We are also equally ambitious and excited about the opportunity that lies ahead of us, and the pivotal role we believe SiteMinder can play in the increasingly connected travel ecosystem. Building extraordinary things takes extraordinary talent, and we are committed to building a leadership team that reflects that ambition. Sankar’s track record and outstanding skillset positions him as the ideal person for me to bring on as a partner in leading SiteMinder into the future.”

Founded in 2006, SiteMinder now has 30,000 hotel clients in 160 countries and more than 600 employees at its Sydney headquarters and in London, Dallas, Bangkok, Galway and Cape Town.

In the 12 months ending June 2018, SiteMinder says its technology generated more than 80 million reservations worth $26.5 billion.

Narayan brings 20 years of experience across travel, technology, media and telecommunications.

“Through innovation and strong execution, Mike Ford and the team at SiteMinder have built a global footprint that cements SiteMinder as the leading guest acquisition platform for hotels worldwide,” Narayan says.

“In partnership with Mike, I look forward to driving growth and scale in the business to join the handful of globally focused Australian technology giants. I am especially excited to be a part of an organization that is set to transform the global travel industry as we know it.”