Sonder Holdings, the company behind serviced-apartment company Sonder, appointed Tom Buoy as executive vice president and chief commercial officer, effective Dec. 11. Buoy has resigned from Sonder’s board of directors and transitioned into this newly created position in the company’s leadership team, where he will be responsible for all aspects of revenue generation and strategy, including revenue management, marketing, sales, and distribution.
“Tom is one of hospitality’s most seasoned commercial leaders, so I’m thrilled to welcome him to our management team," Sonder CEO and Co-Founder Francis Davidson said in a statement. "In Q3, our revenue grew 29 percent year over year as we continued to make progress towards our goal of sustainable positive free cash flow. We have significant revenue opportunities ahead of us, and Tom’s leadership and deep hospitality experience will help us to deliver results."
Buoy has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality sector. He previously was interim chief executive officer and board director for Radisson Hotel Group Americas, where he was responsible for the corporate offices and more than 680 hotels in the company’s portfolio throughout the Americas. Additionally, Buoy served as EVP and chief commercial officer at Radisson Hotel Group Americas, and was part of the company’s executive committee.
During his career, he led the commercial transformation at Extended Stay America, and also served as SVP, customer marketing and revenue management for Morgans Hotel Group (previously Ian Schrager Hotels).
“As I experienced firsthand during my time on its board, Sonder is an incredibly dynamic business, with a bold mission to revolutionize hospitality for the next generation," Buoy said. "I’m excited to transition into the company to oversee all aspects of topline revenue growth, combining industry best practices with disruptive thinking, at this key moment in Sonder’s journey to profitability."
This transition comes about with the upcoming departure of Chief Revenue Officer Shruti Challa. She will support during the transition in an advisory capacity.
“Shruti has been an outstanding executive at Sonder, having built a phenomenal team from the ground up, and skillfully navigated the pandemic where we outperformed all benchmarks," Davidson said.