Greg Schulze, the outgoing chief commercial officer of Expedia Group, is leaving the company after 21 years. His last day is at the end of May, and this year’s Explore event in Las Vegas marks his 20th.
Schulze joined Expedia in a time when most people were still figuring out whether to trust the internet with their credit cards. He helped build the company into a giant that booked more than a trillion dollars in gross bookings over his tenure.
A Career of Impact
Schulze is proudest of how he achieved his goals, rather than the scale of his achievements. He told a reporter, “I’m confident that Expedia was changed by what I brought every day.” He is more focused on making an impact, both personally and professionally, and this has guided his career.
Schulze started in analytics, supporting commercial negotiations, and then moved into commercial, leading air partnerships. He spent the next two decades scaling his instinct across a global business, and he is proud of the relationships he has built and the jobs the travel industry has created.
The travel industry is at a significant turning point, with the rise of AI and the blurring of B2B and B2C. Schulze acknowledges that the industry is standing at the edge of something new, but he also points out that at the core, people are still travelling and looking to connect with people and places around the world.
Schulze’s identity, he insists, was never defined solely by Expedia. It was shaped by Expedia, enriched by it, stretched by it, but it was always his own.
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As he looks to the future, Schulze remains on Traveloka’s board and is thinking about two or three board seats where he can bring his analytical depth and human instinct to bear. He is also looking forward to his daughter graduating college, which feels like life opening into its next chapter.
When asked what he would say to his 21-year-old self, Schulze thought about it and said: “Go work in travel, and travel. And be the person at work that you want to be in life.” Schulze was studying engineering and working in a factory at 21, and he felt entirely open and ready for what was to come.
Now, at the end of his Expedia career, Schulze is once again entirely open and ready. He is excited to see what the future holds, and he is grateful for the experiences and relationships he has had along the way.
His experience in Singapore was marked by unexpected events, including the sudden departure caused by Covid, his son’s virtual high school graduation, and the subsequent recovery. Despite these challenges, he remains grateful for his time in the region.
The end of May marks the end of an era for Greg Schulze at Expedia, and it’s worth noting that the travel industry continues to evolve, with sports tourism alone now accounting for 10% of all travel spend, demonstrating the industry’s resilience and adaptability.