Ricardo Pabón, Until now, Head of Marketing Delivery at Uber Eats for Spain and Portugal, he is the new Marketing Director of Airbnb for Spain and Italy. He leaves the mobility and delivery company after more than ten years and assumes the responsibilities of marketing leadership for the accommodation platform for southern Europe, occupied until the summer by Marta Bonzanini.

Pabón himself made this known through a post on LinkedIn in which he said he felt deeply excited about starting a “new adventure with such a talented and motivated team”.
He has also commented on feeling driven by great challenges, inspired by transformative conversations and connected with brands that aim to have a positive impact on society.

“That’s exactly what Airbnb represents to me: a company committed to building a more connected and united world, supporting a community of more than 5 million hosts and allowing millions of travelers to experience the cities and rural destinations of a unique and authentic way”; has expressed. “The road ahead will not be easy, it is full of challenges. But honestly, the best trips never are.”.

Likewise, he has reflected on his time at Uber. He points out that it has been a journey “andxtraordinary, full of passion, emotion, uncertainty and a relentless drive to transform urban mobility”. He has thanked the team with which he has worked and the trust of the partners and users who have made, as he explains, Uber the leader in mobility in southern Europe and Uber Eats the fastest growing brand in the delivery sector. . “Uber will always have a special place in my heart, just as a part of me will always remain with Uber”; has assured.

Changes to Airbnb

His incorporation to Airbnb’s marketing management for Spain and Italy occurs at a time of internal changes in the company, as it takes place just a few days after the appointment of Jaime Rodríguez de Santiago like new General Director for Spain and Portugal. He replaces Mónica Casañas, who left the company last May.

The changes occur at a delicate time for the company within the framework of the housing crisis in Spain. Some municipalities in our country are promoting regulations to regulate the activity of tourist accommodation. This same month, the Madrid City Council has presented the Reside Plan which, among other things, aims to prohibit tourist apartments dispersed in residential buildings, even on the ground floor.

However, Airbnb has been working on an international growth strategy for some time, and has Spain and Italy as priority markets. Within the framework of this strategy, Airbnb’s intention would be to strengthen its local marketing teams and decentralize its marketing strategies.

is driving local initiativesmany of them linked to experience – under the “Only on Airbnb” concept – and marketing. In our country, for example, it has created experiences with Cupra or “El hormiguero”. In Italy it will act as a sponsor of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, which will take place in the Milan and Cortina areas.

Ricardo Pabón’s professional career

Ricardo Pabón, with training in tourism management from the University of Seville, has a fifteen-year career in the field of marketing. He began to develop his experience in 2009 as Sales And Marketing Coordinator in Abades Group, and later as Marketing Consultant in Walnuters.

He later joined the Chamber of Commerce of Seville, where he served as Marketing Manager for two years before becoming part of the Uber in 2014, when the company began operating in our country.

During his time in the company for more than ten years, he has held positions of different responsibility. He worked first as Marketing Manager for Spain, and later as Marketing Campaign Lead for the Iberian Peninsula. He also assumed the responsibilities of Senior Marketing Manager for Southern Europe for almost four years, and in the last stage he served as Head of Marketing Delivery for Uber Eats for Spain and Portugal.