Francis Davidson Co-Founder and CEO Francis Davidson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sonder. Mr. Davidson attended McGill University where he studied Philosophy and Economics. In the summer of 2012, after his first year at McGill University, Mr. Davidson sublet his college apartment to vacationers in Montreal. Over the next two years, he went on to manage the empty apartments of other students in many different cities, ultimately leaving McGill to pursue Sonder full-time with a vision to redefine hospitality by bringing exceptional stays everywhere. Francis was nominated to Forbes’ “30 under 30” list for Consumer Technology. Sanjay Banker President and Chief Financial Officer Sanjay Banker is President and CFO of Sonder. Sanjay has over 20 years of experience as an operator, investor, and consultant. Over his career, he’s served on 9 boards and completed 15 investments, representing over $4 billion of invested equity capital. Prior to joining Sonder, Sanjay was a Partner at TPG Growth, where he was part of a leadership team that quadrupled the size of the platform, from $3 billion to $13 billion in just 6 years. He led Consumer investing and was also active in Technology, Communications, Transportation, and Industrials. Prior to TPG, Sanjay spent 9 years at Bain Capital Private Equity, investing in Technology, Media, and Consumer companies. He previously was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company. Sanjay serves on the Board of Governors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco. He also earned degrees from Harvard Business School and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Martin Picard Co-Founder and Global Head of Real Estate Martin Picard is Sonder's Co-Founder and Global Head of Real Estate. He was previously CEO of Adzura, and prior to that held the roles of Finance Manager at Ned Davis Research and Senior Financial Auditor at Deloitte. Martin is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from Concordia University. Shruti Challa Senior Vice President of Revenue Shruti Challa is Senior Vice President of Revenue at Sonder. Shruti has played a pivotal role both in the company’s growth and approach to weathering the pandemic, which has hit the travel industry especially hard. Shruti spearheaded Sonder's strategy to weather the height of travel restrictions through an Extended Stay initiative, which allowed the company to maintain RevPAR outperformance of over 2x traditional hotels through 2020. As the future of travel relies on tech more than ever, Sonder has been an early leader in creating a digital guest experience since day one. In addition to her role at Sonder, Shruti is also an avid investor in tech startups boasting investments like SpaceX and Robinhood, a published author in publications like Forbes and TechCrunch, and an advocate for disenfranchised populations. Before landing at Sonder, Shruti was on the leadership teams at two companies that were acquired; one by Booking.com and the other by Groupon. She has a degree in economics from Stanford and (almost) finished her masters in predictive analytics at Northwestern. Deeksha Hebbar Senior Vice President of Operations Deeksha is the Senior Vice President of Operations at Sonder, where she leads all central operations teams including supply chain, interior design, hospitality and guest experience. She started at Sonder in 2017 as a Regional General Manager before moving into her current role. Prior to Sonder, she spent several years at Luxe, an on demand parking and valet service acquired by Volvo, in several roles -- including Vice President of Business. She also spent several years as a consultant at McKinsey & Company in their technology/media practice and as a product marketer at Google. She holds a B.S. in Economics and B.S.E in Engineering from Wharton and the School of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Phil Rothenberg General Counsel Phil Rothenberg is General Counsel of Sonder. He was previously Vice President, Legal with Tesla, Inc. in Fremont, CA. Prior to Tesla, he worked as an Attorney-Advisor for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the Division of Corporation Finance. While at the SEC, Phil also served as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown law school where he co-taught two classes to JD and LLM students in the Securities and Financial Regulation program. Prior to the SEC, Phil worked at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Washington, DC and Sydney, Australia, and for Sullivan and Cromwell LLP in Tokyo, Japan and New York, NY. Phil received a B.A. in Economics and Foreign Affairs from The University of Virginia, a Masters in International Business Studies from the University of South Carolina and a J.D. from Georgetown law school. Mèlika Carroll Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs Mèlika Carroll is Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Sonder. She leads the team responsible for the company’s global strategy for sustainability, corporate communications and public policy. Prior to Sonder, Mèlika worked for several Fortune 500 technology companies. In these roles, she has helped position companies, CEOs and other C-level executives before policymakers in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. In addition to her experience in the private sector, Mèlika has worked for national elected officials in Canada and the U.S.; has guest lectured at Harvard Law School, Georgetown University and The Washington Campus; and co-founded the Global Women’s Innovation Network, www.globalwin.org. Mèlika holds a Bachelor in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Ottawa in Canada and a Masters of European Affairs from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. Arthur Chang Chief of Staff & Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Arthur is a hotel ops leader turned entrepreneur and startup generalist. After launching Sonder in Vancouver in 2015, Arthur led Sonder's global expansion into over 30 markets and now oversees the company's strategic initiatives. Prior to Sonder, Arthur invented and co-founded Soarigami, the most innovative travel product in the world as deemed by IATA and over 1,000 global publications in 50+ countries. Prior to that, Arthur was a Vice President at Coyle Hospitality, overseeing business development, operations, and client care. He has personally helped hundreds of major hotel, restaurant, and travel brands improve their guest experience. While he was pursuing his B.Sc. in Hotel Administration at Cornell, he put himself through school by managing the world-renowned Statler Hotel. Arthur was born in Hong Kong; has lived in multiple international cities, and is now based in Montreal with his family. He is a connoisseur of the violin, Wing Chun Kung Fu, and rocambolesque adventures. Mac Golonka Vice President of Product Mac Golonka is responsible for all product management across technology. His areas of focus include defining Sonder’s overall product strategy, maximizing the impact of tech investments and leading the delivery of product roadmaps. He brings nearly two decades of experience in product leadership, engineering and data science, at USAA, Microsoft and Amazon. Prior to Sonder he was a tech executive at Amazon Video division, responsible for customer growth and monetization. Mac received an MBA from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University and his undergraduate degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from Texas A&M University. Christian Hempell Vice President of Market Operations in North America Christian is Sonder's Vice President of Market Operations in North America where he oversees operations and services across all hotels and multi-family buildings in more than two dozen cities, and leads the team to deliver an exceptional branded guest experience. Prior to Sonder, Christian spent more than 16 years at InterContintental Hotels Group (IHG), most recently as Senior Vice President of the company's global loyalty and partnerships programs, with additional experience in new brand development, timeshare, real estate, new business ventures, and corporate strategy. Before IHG, Christian led consulting projects related to real estate, operations, finance and marketing strategy for hospitality and leisure organizations. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Hospitality Management from Cornell University, and lives in Atlanta with his wife and two children. Alan Lin Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis Alan Lin is responsible for all aspects of financial planning and analysis at Sonder, including cross-functional infrastructure and continuous process improvement. He has over 15 years of experience in a mix of Fortune 500 public companies, and high-growth, venture-backed private firms, including Electronic Arts, GoPro, Chegg and Lyft, with deep involvement in preparing the latter three for their IPOs. Alan received his B.S. in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business of the University of California, Berkeley. Patrick Mitchell Vice President of Brand, Marketing and Distribution Patrick Mitchell oversees Sonder's brand, marketing and distribution team, focusing on building brand equity while optimizing performance across eCommerce channels to advance Sonder’s global reach. With over 20 years of hospitality sales and marketing experience, Patrick has held leadership roles at leading brands including Cathay Pacific Airways, Club Med, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International. Patrick received a B.S. in Economics from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania and received his MBA in Strategy from Yale University. Patrick lives in Los Angeles, CA. Kristen Richter Vice President of Sales As the Vice President of Sales at Sonder, Kristen is focused on proactively connecting guests and spearheading new strategic partnerships with corporate brands, organizations, associations and leisure travel groups. Prior to Sonder, Kristen served as Chief Commercial Officer for Radisson Hotel Group, Americas, where she led top-line revenue growth for the sales, marketing, revenue management, digital and channel teams. Before that, Kristen was Senior Vice President, Global Revenue Management for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' 20 brands and 9,000+ properties worldwide. She has also spent time with Hilton and Avis Budget Car Rental in various leadership roles. Kristen earned her Bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University and her MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Bonnie Samuels Vice President of Human Resources Bonnie Samuels is responsible for all people strategies and operations, quality of leadership, and organizational design at Sonder. She started her HR career in publishing before moving to the digital industry, where she specialized in the technology and communications space, working internationally with teams across brands such as Apple, Samsung, Adidas, Starbucks, Amazon and eBay. Bonnie joined Sonder in 2019 and is passionate about organizational behavior, and shaping cultures in dynamic human systems. She received her M.A. in Human Resources Management from the University of West London, and her B.A. in Business Studies and Finance from the University of South Wales. Harry Sun Vice President of Engineering Harry Sun recently joined next-generation hospitality company Sonder as the Vice President of Engineering. He will lead all aspects of software engineering at Sonder, including engineering talent growth and development, engineering excellence, quality, technical innovation, product delivery and continuous improvement. Harry joins Sonder from Indeed.com, where he was the head of technology, focusing on their Enterprise sourcing and platform businesses. Prior to Indeed, he spent over a decade at Amazon as Director of Software Engineering, working across Consumer Platform, Fulfillment and Marketplace. Harry has held similar roles at companies like Oracle and HTC. He received his B.S. from the University of Southern California, and his M.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University.
Francis Davidson Co-Founder and CEO Francis Davidson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sonder. Mr. Davidson attended McGill University where he studied Philosophy and Economics. In the summer of 2012, after his first year at McGill University, Mr. Davidson sublet his college apartment to vacationers in Montreal. Over the next two years, he went on to manage the empty apartments of other students in many different cities, ultimately leaving McGill to pursue Sonder full-time with a vision to redefine hospitality by bringing exceptional stays everywhere. Francis was nominated to Forbes’ “30 under 30” list for Consumer Technology.
Sanjay Banker President and Chief Financial Officer Sanjay Banker is President and CFO of Sonder. Sanjay has over 20 years of experience as an operator, investor, and consultant. Over his career, he’s served on 9 boards and completed 15 investments, representing over $4 billion of invested equity capital. Prior to joining Sonder, Sanjay was a Partner at TPG Growth, where he was part of a leadership team that quadrupled the size of the platform, from $3 billion to $13 billion in just 6 years. He led Consumer investing and was also active in Technology, Communications, Transportation, and Industrials. Prior to TPG, Sanjay spent 9 years at Bain Capital Private Equity, investing in Technology, Media, and Consumer companies. He previously was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company. Sanjay serves on the Board of Governors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco. He also earned degrees from Harvard Business School and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Martin Picard Co-Founder and Global Head of Real Estate Martin Picard is Sonder's Co-Founder and Global Head of Real Estate. He was previously CEO of Adzura, and prior to that held the roles of Finance Manager at Ned Davis Research and Senior Financial Auditor at Deloitte. Martin is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from Concordia University.
Shruti Challa Senior Vice President of Revenue Shruti Challa is Senior Vice President of Revenue at Sonder. Shruti has played a pivotal role both in the company’s growth and approach to weathering the pandemic, which has hit the travel industry especially hard. Shruti spearheaded Sonder's strategy to weather the height of travel restrictions through an Extended Stay initiative, which allowed the company to maintain RevPAR outperformance of over 2x traditional hotels through 2020. As the future of travel relies on tech more than ever, Sonder has been an early leader in creating a digital guest experience since day one. In addition to her role at Sonder, Shruti is also an avid investor in tech startups boasting investments like SpaceX and Robinhood, a published author in publications like Forbes and TechCrunch, and an advocate for disenfranchised populations. Before landing at Sonder, Shruti was on the leadership teams at two companies that were acquired; one by Booking.com and the other by Groupon. She has a degree in economics from Stanford and (almost) finished her masters in predictive analytics at Northwestern.
Deeksha Hebbar Senior Vice President of Operations Deeksha is the Senior Vice President of Operations at Sonder, where she leads all central operations teams including supply chain, interior design, hospitality and guest experience. She started at Sonder in 2017 as a Regional General Manager before moving into her current role. Prior to Sonder, she spent several years at Luxe, an on demand parking and valet service acquired by Volvo, in several roles -- including Vice President of Business. She also spent several years as a consultant at McKinsey & Company in their technology/media practice and as a product marketer at Google. She holds a B.S. in Economics and B.S.E in Engineering from Wharton and the School of Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Phil Rothenberg General Counsel Phil Rothenberg is General Counsel of Sonder. He was previously Vice President, Legal with Tesla, Inc. in Fremont, CA. Prior to Tesla, he worked as an Attorney-Advisor for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the Division of Corporation Finance. While at the SEC, Phil also served as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown law school where he co-taught two classes to JD and LLM students in the Securities and Financial Regulation program. Prior to the SEC, Phil worked at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in Washington, DC and Sydney, Australia, and for Sullivan and Cromwell LLP in Tokyo, Japan and New York, NY. Phil received a B.A. in Economics and Foreign Affairs from The University of Virginia, a Masters in International Business Studies from the University of South Carolina and a J.D. from Georgetown law school.
Mèlika Carroll Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs Mèlika Carroll is Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Sonder. She leads the team responsible for the company’s global strategy for sustainability, corporate communications and public policy. Prior to Sonder, Mèlika worked for several Fortune 500 technology companies. In these roles, she has helped position companies, CEOs and other C-level executives before policymakers in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. In addition to her experience in the private sector, Mèlika has worked for national elected officials in Canada and the U.S.; has guest lectured at Harvard Law School, Georgetown University and The Washington Campus; and co-founded the Global Women’s Innovation Network, www.globalwin.org. Mèlika holds a Bachelor in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Ottawa in Canada and a Masters of European Affairs from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.
Arthur Chang Chief of Staff & Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Arthur is a hotel ops leader turned entrepreneur and startup generalist. After launching Sonder in Vancouver in 2015, Arthur led Sonder's global expansion into over 30 markets and now oversees the company's strategic initiatives. Prior to Sonder, Arthur invented and co-founded Soarigami, the most innovative travel product in the world as deemed by IATA and over 1,000 global publications in 50+ countries. Prior to that, Arthur was a Vice President at Coyle Hospitality, overseeing business development, operations, and client care. He has personally helped hundreds of major hotel, restaurant, and travel brands improve their guest experience. While he was pursuing his B.Sc. in Hotel Administration at Cornell, he put himself through school by managing the world-renowned Statler Hotel. Arthur was born in Hong Kong; has lived in multiple international cities, and is now based in Montreal with his family. He is a connoisseur of the violin, Wing Chun Kung Fu, and rocambolesque adventures.
Mac Golonka Vice President of Product Mac Golonka is responsible for all product management across technology. His areas of focus include defining Sonder’s overall product strategy, maximizing the impact of tech investments and leading the delivery of product roadmaps. He brings nearly two decades of experience in product leadership, engineering and data science, at USAA, Microsoft and Amazon. Prior to Sonder he was a tech executive at Amazon Video division, responsible for customer growth and monetization. Mac received an MBA from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University and his undergraduate degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from Texas A&M University.
Christian Hempell Vice President of Market Operations in North America Christian is Sonder's Vice President of Market Operations in North America where he oversees operations and services across all hotels and multi-family buildings in more than two dozen cities, and leads the team to deliver an exceptional branded guest experience. Prior to Sonder, Christian spent more than 16 years at InterContintental Hotels Group (IHG), most recently as Senior Vice President of the company's global loyalty and partnerships programs, with additional experience in new brand development, timeshare, real estate, new business ventures, and corporate strategy. Before IHG, Christian led consulting projects related to real estate, operations, finance and marketing strategy for hospitality and leisure organizations. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Hospitality Management from Cornell University, and lives in Atlanta with his wife and two children.
Alan Lin Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis Alan Lin is responsible for all aspects of financial planning and analysis at Sonder, including cross-functional infrastructure and continuous process improvement. He has over 15 years of experience in a mix of Fortune 500 public companies, and high-growth, venture-backed private firms, including Electronic Arts, GoPro, Chegg and Lyft, with deep involvement in preparing the latter three for their IPOs. Alan received his B.S. in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business of the University of California, Berkeley.
Patrick Mitchell Vice President of Brand, Marketing and Distribution Patrick Mitchell oversees Sonder's brand, marketing and distribution team, focusing on building brand equity while optimizing performance across eCommerce channels to advance Sonder’s global reach. With over 20 years of hospitality sales and marketing experience, Patrick has held leadership roles at leading brands including Cathay Pacific Airways, Club Med, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International. Patrick received a B.S. in Economics from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania and received his MBA in Strategy from Yale University. Patrick lives in Los Angeles, CA.
Kristen Richter Vice President of Sales As the Vice President of Sales at Sonder, Kristen is focused on proactively connecting guests and spearheading new strategic partnerships with corporate brands, organizations, associations and leisure travel groups. Prior to Sonder, Kristen served as Chief Commercial Officer for Radisson Hotel Group, Americas, where she led top-line revenue growth for the sales, marketing, revenue management, digital and channel teams. Before that, Kristen was Senior Vice President, Global Revenue Management for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' 20 brands and 9,000+ properties worldwide. She has also spent time with Hilton and Avis Budget Car Rental in various leadership roles. Kristen earned her Bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University and her MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Bonnie Samuels Vice President of Human Resources Bonnie Samuels is responsible for all people strategies and operations, quality of leadership, and organizational design at Sonder. She started her HR career in publishing before moving to the digital industry, where she specialized in the technology and communications space, working internationally with teams across brands such as Apple, Samsung, Adidas, Starbucks, Amazon and eBay. Bonnie joined Sonder in 2019 and is passionate about organizational behavior, and shaping cultures in dynamic human systems. She received her M.A. in Human Resources Management from the University of West London, and her B.A. in Business Studies and Finance from the University of South Wales.
Harry Sun Vice President of Engineering Harry Sun recently joined next-generation hospitality company Sonder as the Vice President of Engineering. He will lead all aspects of software engineering at Sonder, including engineering talent growth and development, engineering excellence, quality, technical innovation, product delivery and continuous improvement. Harry joins Sonder from Indeed.com, where he was the head of technology, focusing on their Enterprise sourcing and platform businesses. Prior to Indeed, he spent over a decade at Amazon as Director of Software Engineering, working across Consumer Platform, Fulfillment and Marketplace. Harry has held similar roles at companies like Oracle and HTC. He received his B.S. from the University of Southern California, and his M.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University.