Barney Harford Biography
Barney Harford is an American-British technology executive and is on the board of directors of RealSelf and United Airlines. Barney is the non-executive chairman of the board of directors of Lola, a chat-based travel agency that provides clients with tailored recommendations for lodging, airfare, and other travel-related services.
How old is Harford? Age
He is 52 years old as of 2024. He was born in 1972 in Greenwich, England.
Harford Family
His sibling is three years younger than him. Lindsay S. Harford, his mother, was the Learning and Skills Council of Cumbria’s director of planning and development. His father, Ian G. M. Harford, was the Workers’ Educational Association’s regional director for Manchester, overseeing adult vocational and other education programs. He had dreamed of being a scientist or travel photographer when he was younger.
Harford Education
After taking a year off between high school and college, he worked for a nuclear power firm, where he taught himself French and used ultrasonography to locate flaws in power plants. Harford earned a degree in natural sciences with a major from Clare College in Cambridge. Following a paragliding mishap, he applied to graduate school and completed a one-year MBA program at INSEAD, which is located close to Paris.
Harford Wife – Son
Harford is married to Alexandra Birnbaum, an executive at Expedia. They have a son and reside in Chicago. Harford is an adventurous traveler that likes to go kite surfing and hiking in isolated areas.
Harford Net Worth
Barney has an estimated net worth of $76.2 Million.
Uber
Harford joined Uber in 2017 as its chief operations officer. He was compensated $47.6 million in 2018. In June 2019, he departed from Uber. Uber Technologies, Inc. is a transnational transportation firm based in the United States that provides food delivery, freight transport, ride-hailing, and courier services. It is headquartered in San Francisco and operates in 10,500 cities across 70 countries. Uber enables an average of 28 million journeys per day and has facilitated 47 billion trips since 2010, with over 150 million monthly active customers and 6 million active drivers and couriers. Its take rates for food delivery were 18.3% in 2023 and for mobility services were 28.7% in 2023.
Uber’s designation of its drivers as independent contractors or gig workers has drawn criticism and legal concerns since it permits the business to deny labor protections. Research indicates that in cities where it faces competition from public transportation, Uber exacerbates traffic congestion, decreases the use of public transportation, and increases reliance on personal vehicles. Under Travis Kalanick’s direction, Uber has also been involved in scandals for unethical behavior, including aggressive lobbying and dodging local laws, which were exposed via a document leak.
Barney’s Career
He is a board director of LiquidPlanner, a dynamic project management tool for tech teams, and United Airlines, the operator of the largest route network in the world. From 2009 to 2015, Barney headed Orbitz Worldwide as CEO and a board member. Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) bought Orbitz Worldwide in a $1.6 billion cash deal that was announced in February 2015 and completed in September of the same year. Orbitz Worldwide produced yearly gross bookings exceeding US$12 billion in the year before company was sold.
The company launched Orbitz Rewards, a straightforward and free loyalty program that offers travelers instant rewards, during Barney’s tenure. It also developed the Orbitz Partner Network into a top supplier of private label travel solutions to partners in the airline, hotel, travel agency, and bank loyalty industries.
Prior to leaving in 2006, Barney worked for Expedia, Inc. in a number of capacities. From 2004 to 2006, he led the company’s expansion into China, Japan, and Australia as President of Expedia Asia Pacific. Barney was employed with The Kalchas Group as a strategy consultant in the UK before joining Expedia. In the past, Barney has also held board positions in GlobalEnglish, eLong, and Crystal Orange Hotel Group (formerly Mandarin Hotel Holdings). Barney invests in angels actively. Avvo, Base, Glassdoor, PlayFab, RealSelf, TurnKey Vacation Rentals, and Ycharts are among the private companies in which he has invested.