Airbnb, the popular San Francisco-based peer-to-peer marketplace for spaces, has named Aaron Zifkin as its new country manager for Canada.
The Torontonian most recently as Senior Vice President of Global Business Development for Artez Interactive, a leading provider of web, mobile and social charitable fundraising solutions. Zifkin previously co-founded the Kawartha Lakes Ski School in 2001 and served as an advisor to Hubba.com.
Zifkin’s mission will be to continue growing awareness of Airbnb among Canadians.
“Our goal in Canada is to create and support a thriving community for hosts and guests, enabling unique and meaningful travel experiences like never before,” said Zifkin. “The Canadian Airbnb community is already one of the largest and most passionate in the world and we believe there are ample opportunities to help it continue to grow as the favourite option for domestic and international travellers.”
“We know Canadians love to travel, both domestically and abroad, and Airbnb is well positioned to serve this community with friendly Canadian hospitality,” said Varsha Rao, head of Global Operations at Airbnb. “Aaron’s experience and proven track record of building businesses and communities are tremendous assets he brings to the Airbnb team.”
The company also said it’s “experiencing hyper growth in Canada,” with over 18,000 Canadian listings.
Founded in 2008, Airbnb has raised $794 million in venture capital. It calls itself “a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world – online or from a mobile phone.”
It’s prevalent in 34,000 cities and 190 countries.