Mark Okerstrom (born 1972/1973) is a Canadian lawyer and technology executive in the hospitality sector. He was the president and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Expedia Group until December 4, 2019 when he resigned over disagreements on strategy with Barry Diller and the Expedia board. Mark then joined as president and COO of

Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

until the company ceased core operations and was sold to Flexport.

Early life and education

Okerstrom was born in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, and is the son of two school teachers. Okerstrom earned a certificate of liberal arts from

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

in 1995, a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

in 1998, and a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

in 2004.

Career

In his early career, Okerstrom was an associate at the law firms Fasken Martineau and

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Freshfields LLP (formerly Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, or FBD) is a British multinational law firm headquartered in London, England, and a member of the so-called " Magic Circle". The firm has 28 offices in 17 jurisdictions across Asia, Europ ...

from 1998 to 2002. In 2003, he became an associate at investment bank UBS in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Okerstrom later became a consultant at Bain & Company in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

from 2004 to 2006, handling mergers and acquisitions. Okerstrom was recruited to join Expedia Inc. in 2006 as head of Expedia's corporate development and strategy group. He then became Expedia's

chief financial officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...

in 2011 and later served also as executive vice president of operations, and served as the main negotiator in the company's investment stake in Trivago, and led the company's acquisitions of

Travelocity Travelocity.com is an online travel agency owned by the American Expedia Group. It has 12.4 million monthly unique visitors, making it the third most popular website owned by Expedia Group, after Expedia.com and Hotels.com. One of the pionee ...

and Wotif. In August 2017, Okerstrom became CEO of Expedia, succeeding Dara Khosrowshahi. He also served on the organisation's board of directors. Okerstrom led the rebrand of Expedia, Inc. to Expedia Group in 2018. According to the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

, Okerstrom was 23rd on the list of the highest paid CEOs of companies with revenues of at least $1 billion for 2017. On December 4, 2019, Okerstrom and his CFO Alan Pickerill resigned from their respective roles at Expedia Group due to a difference of opinion on strategic alignment with the board. On August 27, 2020, Mark joined Seattle-based digital freight startup

as President, COO.

Personal life

Okerstrom is married and has two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okerstrom, Mark Expedia Group 1970s births Living people 20th-century Canadian lawyers 21st-century Canadian businesspeople 21st-century Canadian lawyers Bain & Company employees Businesspeople from Vancouver Canadian expatriates in the United States Canadian expatriates in England Canadian technology chief executives Chief executives in the hospitality industry Chief financial officers Harvard Business School alumni Simon Fraser University alumni UBS people University of British Columbia alumni Year of birth missing (living people)