Dive Brief:
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Online travel company Booking Holdings Inc. said it hired S&P Global veteran Ewout Steenbergen to become its new finance chief, effective March 15.
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Steenbergen will succeed David Goulden, who announced his retirement in February after six years with the Norwalk, Connecticut-based company.
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“Ewout's deep experience in technology and finance will be an asset to our company as we look to achieve our vision for the future of travel," Booking CEO Glenn Fogel said in a Wednesday press release.
Dive Insight:
The news comes as executive search experts say they’re seeing an uptick in year-end CFO exit announcements, as previously reported by CFO Dive. Besides S&P Global, music streaming giant Spotify Technology and electric vehicle maker Lucid Group are among companies where finance chiefs have recently decided to move on.
In his new role, Steenbergen, 54, is expected to receive an initial annual base salary of $825,000 and a target annual bonus of 180% of his base salary, prorated for 2024, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing from Booking.
He will lead the company’s worldwide finance organization, which includes finance, tax, treasury, accounting, internal audit, corporate development, real estate and investor relations, reporting directly to Fogel, according to the press release.
The appointment comes on the heels of S&P Global’s announcement last week that Steenbergen had decided to leave the company after seven years to “pursue another professional opportunity.” The financial information and analytics company said it had begun the process of evaluating both internal and external candidates to replace him. Meanwhile, Steenbergen will stay on until March 2024 “to ensure continuity and a successful transition,” the company said in a press release.
Among other accomplishments, Steenbergen played an instrumental role in acquiring Kensho, S&P Global's artificial intelligence and innovation hub, according to the S&P Global release. He also was among members of the S&P Global leadership team who helped close the company’s $44 billion merger with IHS Markit last year, it said.
Prior to joining S&P Global, Steenbergen served as CFO of New York-headquartered Voya Financial, an investment management company.
