Scottish travel search firm Skyscanner names new financial chief

Kris Beyens is set to join Edinburgh founded Skyscanner and has held executive roles at eBay. Picture: Contributed

Kris Beyens is to replace Colin McLellan, who is departing at the end of next month after seven years at the business.

Prior to Skyscanner, Beyens held executive roles at online auction giant eBay. He also spent 13 years in finance roles at General Electric, spanning business such as GE Industrial Systems and GE Healthcare.

He said: “Travel is a passion of mine, and as a world-class provider of flights, hotels and car hire, Skyscanner is leading the industry’s transformation towards modern and sustainable travel.

“With over 100 million people using Skyscanner every month, the business put over 172 million flight passengers in the air last year. It is clear that Skyscanner is in a strong position to pave the way for the future of the industry.”

Chief executive Bryan Dove added: “Kris brings to the team a deep marketplace understanding coupled with impressive international experience.”

The business has made several other senior appointments of late. Rob Miller, formerly of Deliveroo, joined as chief legal officer in August. Piero Sierra, a veteran of Skype and formerly Skyscanner’s vice-president of product, was recently promoted to chief product officer.

In September, Skyscanner, which was acquired by Chinese giant Ctrip Group in 2016 in a deal valued at some £1.4 billion, launched a global brand re-fresh and pledged to “lead the global transformation to modern and sustainable travel”.