Former Uber and Expedia Group executive Zuhaira Washington will take on the role of leading growth in the flex and enhanced market segments, according to an announcement Monday.
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Zillow has added former Uber and Expedia Group executive Zuhaira Washington to its operations team, according to an announcement late Monday. As vice president of market operations and general manager of Flex, Mr. Washington will lead efforts to grow Flex agents’ business and expand the company’s super app capabilities to serve more enhanced markets. .
Zuhaira, Washington |Credit: Zillow
“Homeownership is at the heart of the American Dream, and for many, that journey begins at Zillow. We are thrilled to join this dynamic company dedicated to transforming this pivotal milestone into a seamless, integrated experience. I am very happy to be able to do this,” Washington said in a prepared statement. “Together with our Flex partners and the Enhanced Markets team, we will continue to leverage digital innovation to expand our reach and help even more movers across the country come home safe and secure. ”
Mr. Washington has 20 years of leadership experience at multiple multinational companies, including Uber and Expedia Group.
At Uber, he served as general manager for the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia markets. During his tenure, Washington dramatically improved the region’s revenue and financial projections through driver and passenger retention initiatives, product launches, and more comprehensive rideshare regulations. After leaving Uber in 2018, Mr. Washington joined Expedia as global head of strategic partnerships, where he led a team of more than 1,000 people and managed $4 billion in strategic partner revenue.
The Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School graduate also held roles at MacFarlane Partners, Qype (now Yelp Europe), fashion marketplace Otrium, and founded the now-defunct relationship app Kahnoodle. She also served on the boards of Olo and Five Below.
“We are excited that Zuhairah has joined the company to lead our efforts to expand Zillow’s flex and enhanced market strategy,” Jun Choo, Zillow’s chief operating officer, said in a written statement. “Homebuyers and movers want and deserve a more seamless transaction experience. We partner with great agents who are growing their businesses by focusing on solving consumer problems. And we provide it.”
Washington’s hiring follows an unspecified number of layoffs in the company’s software and advertising teams. Zillow declined to release specific employee numbers. However, a spokesperson told Inman that the job cuts are part of the company’s efforts to reprioritize its technology investments.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to working with our agency customers to deliver a digitized and integrated experience to more movers in more markets, we are expanding the products we offer to agencies and We are focused on long-term growth of our business solutions,” they said. in a statement sent via email. “We remain as confident as ever in this strategy and will continue to prioritize investments in areas that will most benefit our agency customers.”
“This week we made some changes to the organizational structure of some of our agent software and advertising teams, resulting in the elimination of certain roles,” they added. “We appreciate the contributions of our affected employees to Zillow and are committed to making their transition as smooth as possible. Decisions like this are never easy, and our first choice is “However, by managing our resources responsibly, we believe our team will be able to adequately serve consumers, agency clients and the broader real estate industry in 2025.”
Email Marian McPherson
