Agoda promotes Kris Suebjaklap to Global Marketing Chief

Agoda has promoted Kris Suebjaklap to Senior Vice President and Global Head of Marketing, putting a long-serving executive in charge of the travel platform's global marketing organisation.

Suebjaklap has spent more than a decade at Agoda, working across both consumer and business-facing marketing. Her remit now covers brand, performance and product marketing across global markets as the company moves to align those functions more closely.

The appointment comes as travel companies reassess their marketing strategies in response to changing consumer behaviour, broader use of artificial intelligence and a more fragmented media environment. Agoda has used AI in campaigns and internal marketing processes while adapting its local market approach in Asia Pacific and other regions.

At Agoda, Suebjaklap also helped establish the company's B2B marketing function, giving her oversight of how the group communicates not only with travellers but also with accommodation partners, affiliates and distribution networks. That broader brief reflects the structure of online travel businesses, which depend on both consumer demand and partner supply.

AI focus

Under her leadership, a key priority is likely to be using AI in day-to-day marketing execution rather than in limited pilot projects. Agoda has highlighted workflows, personalisation, decision-making and customer experience as areas where AI can affect commercial outcomes.

That emphasis mirrors a broader shift among large consumer internet companies. After early experimentation with generative AI tools, many marketing teams are now under pressure to show measurable returns through smoother customer journeys, more efficient media buying and better conversion from discovery to purchase.

For travel platforms, this can be especially significant because booking decisions often involve long consideration periods, multiple devices and repeated comparisons across destinations, prices and providers. Marketing teams increasingly use data to identify where potential customers drop out before completing a booking and to adjust messaging or offers accordingly.

Agoda has also been developing market-specific campaigns designed to connect local culture with a consistent global brand identity. In Japan, it recently launched its "GO GO with Agoda!" campaign featuring actress Riisa Naka as the brand ambassador for that market.

The campaign highlights a recurring challenge for international consumer brands in Asia: how to adapt storytelling to local pop culture and travel habits without fragmenting identities across countries. Large travel platforms often need to balance standardised performance marketing with more tailored brand campaigns in competitive local markets.

Regional strategy

Agoda's recent marketing efforts have ranged from destination-led campaigns across Asia to activity tied to entertainment and cultural moments, including Eurovision. These programmes show how travel brands are trying to remain visible beyond direct booking searches by linking themselves to wider media and lifestyle conversations.

That approach has become more common as digital advertising channels grow more crowded and expensive. Travel companies that once relied heavily on search and performance media have increasingly expanded into broader brand activity to influence earlier stages of the customer journey, when travellers are still deciding where and when to go.

Suebjaklap's promotion also underlines the importance of executives who can manage both brand-led storytelling and performance-led acquisition. In many online travel businesses, those two disciplines were historically run separately, but growing pressure on efficiency has encouraged closer links between creative, media, product and data teams.

Her background across consumer and B2B marketing may also prove relevant as Agoda balances the interests of different groups within its marketplace. Online travel platforms must appeal to travellers seeking convenience and price while also maintaining trust and visibility among hotel owners, accommodation providers and distribution partners.

The promotion places Suebjaklap among a group of senior regional marketing leaders taking on broader global mandates from Asia-based businesses. As companies headquartered in the region expand internationally, they are increasingly elevating executives with deep local market experience to oversee cross-border brand strategy and technology-led marketing operations.

Agoda has not outlined further structural changes alongside the appointment, but the role suggests continuity in a strategy that more closely ties together AI adoption, local cultural relevance and marketplace growth across its marketing organisation.