TripAdvisor Appoints Lily Cheng As President, APAC, To Lead Regional Growth

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Jul 29, 2014, 06:00 ET

NEWTON, Mass., July 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced that Lily Cheng has joined its management team as President, APAC. Cheng is responsible for driving TripAdvisor's growth in the Asia Pacific region through both organic growth and strategic partnerships, with a focus on China, Japan, and India. Based in Beijing, she reports to Stephen Kaufer, president and CEO of TripAdvisor.

In addition to Cheng's current responsibilities leading TripAdvisor China under the Daodao brand (TripAdvisor's Chinese website), she will oversee the growth of Kuxun, working closely with Ivan Zhang, CEO of Kuxun. She will also lead the company's efforts to further accelerate growth in Asia Pacific and assume management responsibility for Japan and India.

Intra-APAC and APAC outbound travel to the rest of the world currently accounts for over one-third of the world's air passenger traffic volume, and over the next 15 years, more than 50 percent of the global growth in traffic volume is expected to come from APAC.¹ Asia-Pacific is one of the fastest growing markets for TripAdvisor and this new appointment will further enhance TripAdvisor's regional capabilities to serve this growing demand.

"We are pleased to welcome Lily to the TripAdvisor management team, and she will play a key role at TripAdvisor as we continue to expand our global footprint as the world's largest travel site," said Stephen Kaufer, president and CEO of TripAdvisor. "Asia Pacific is a vitally important region for TripAdvisor. With Lily's experience, management skills and proven track record of success, I am confident that our APAC business will continue to thrive under her leadership."

"I am delighted to join TripAdvisor's leadership team and have the opportunity to shape our growth trajectory in this exciting region," said Lily Cheng, President, APAC, TripAdvisor. "I look forward to working with our talented teams in each of these markets to bring TripAdvisor to hundreds of millions of new emerging travelers in the coming years."

Cheng joined TripAdvisor in 2010 as Senior Director, Strategy & Business Development, APAC, where she was an instrumental member of the team that established TripAdvisor's regional presence in Singapore. In 2011, she relocated to Beijing as Vice President, Strategy & Product Management, TripAdvisor China, to accelerate the company's growth in mainland China. In 2013, Cheng was promoted to Managing Director, TripAdvisor China, to further build and lead the Daodao team in both China and the U.S.

Cheng has extensive experience working in the travel industry. Prior to joining TripAdvisor, Cheng served at Expedia Inc. between 2008 and 2010 in various capacities, including managing global product development and marketing for Expedia's private label and affiliate business (EAN), as well as supporting Expedia's Asia Pacific expansion strategy including the early negotiations of the Expedia / AirAsia joint venture. She also served as a non-executive member of the Board of Directors of eLong Inc., a leading online travel agency in China. Prior to Expedia, she was a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group in Greater China in the Consumer Goods Practice.

In the early part of her career, Cheng founded a technology start-up which pioneered using electromagnetic power technologies for wirelessly charging mobile devices with venture funding from Benchmark Capital. She holds a Master's and Bachelor's degree in Engineering with Distinction from the University of Cambridge.

¹"Winning the Next Billion Asian Travellers – Starting with China," The Boston Consulting Group, December 2013.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching nearly 280 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 170 million reviews and opinions covering more than 4 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 43 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 23 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.lafourchette.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.virtualtourist.com, and www.kuxun.cn.