MUMBAI: Skyscanner has named Bryan Batista as its next chief executive officer, effective 1 June 2025. Batista, who currently serves as chief operating officer, will succeed John Mangelaars, who departs after a four-and-a-half-year stint steering the global travel platform through a period of rapid growth and diversification.
The leadership transition comes as Skyscanner records double-digit growth across flights, accommodation, and car hire, while expanding aggressively into high-growth markets such as India. The company currently serves over 160 million users each month across 180 countries and 37 languages, offering access to more than 1,200 partners in flights, hotels, and car rentals. Rail and package travel offerings have also been added in select markets.
Mangelaars said, “After four and a half incredible years, I am stepping down as CEO and passing the baton to Bryan. The company is in a great position, and I feel that now is the right time for me personally to make this change and pursue new ventures. I have enormous confidence in Bryan’s leadership and determination to take Skyscanner forward in the next stage of its ambitious growth”.
Batista joined Skyscanner in January 2024. Prior to that, he led Rentalcars.com and served as SVP of the Trips division at Booking.com, after an earlier leadership stint at Tesla. Since joining Skyscanner, Batista has played a key role in shaping and executing the company’s long-term strategy, which involves scanning 100 billion prices daily to help travellers plan their trips with greater ease and confidence.
“We built Skyscanner because we are travel geeks at heart”, Batista said. “We love the thrill of exploring new places and we hate the pain of planning. Since joining Skyscanner, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with our incredible teams and travel partners. Stepping into this role is a dream. I get to lead a company that is on a mission to become the world’s number one travel ally”.
With new products, smarter tools, and category expansions in motion, Batista’s elevation signals a continued focus on making travel discovery more intuitive and rewarding for users worldwide.