Menlo Park, 29 February 2024 – Permira, the global private equity firm, today announced the appointment of John Kim as a Senior Adviser to its global Technology team.
John has a wealth of product management and technical experience. He currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer of PayPal, where he leads the product and design teams globally, with a focus on advancing PayPal's position as a leader in digital payments and commerce around the globe. Prior to joining PayPal, John served as President of Expedia Marketplace, where he oversaw strategy, product, technology, and operations for all of Expedia Group's business lines. Before that, he was Expedia’s President of Platform & Marketplaces, where he led the development of AI, user experience, research, e-commerce, marketplaces and yield management, and oversaw the data and development platforms that power the group’s two-sided marketplace.
Previously in his career, John served as President of HomeAway/Vrbo following its acquisition by Expedia Group in 2015, and then as President of Vrbo. At Vrbo, he led strategy and operations and drove the company's transformation from a subscription-based advertising model to a modern e-commerce business powered by data science and technology. Prior to that, he has more than two decades of digital experience across venture-backed startups, medium-sized companies, and global brands including Yahoo!, Overture, Accenture, Bank of America, and Pelago.
As a Senior Adviser, John will use his industry knowledge, network and deep experience of product development to advise on investment origination, due diligence and value creation, with a focus on product excellence and AI.
John Kim said: “I’m excited to get started as a Senior Adviser after spending a lot of time with the Permira team over the years. Their global reach, combined with deep sector expertise and a product-first approach, really sets them apart, particularly in today’s environment. I’ve spent my career developing exceptional products and bringing them to life for customers, and I’m looking forward to providing counsel to Permira to help them drive innovation and product development as well as go-to-market and pricing strategies.”
Brian Ruder, Partner at Permira, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome John as a Senior Adviser. We remain laser focused on investing with a product-led mindset and are confident that John’s decades of product and technical expertise will give us an edge in delivering transformational growth at scale for our stakeholders.”
Permira’s Senior Advisers help drive value by partnering with investment teams and management teams to both identify new opportunities and scale champions globally. John’s appointment follows the recent arrival of Amol Kulkarni, the former Chief Product and Engineering Office at CrowdStrike.
