Kayak Hires First-Ever CFO Ahead of Pending IPO

Six months after filing to go public, online travel service Kayak has gotten around to hiring its very first CFO: Bill H. Smith, previously VP of global finance for Novell, where he worked for 13 years. Earlier this year, Kayak’s plans faced a delay as the Justice Department examined (and ultimately okayed) Google’s acquisition of ITA Software, but the Norwalk, Conn.-based company is likely encouraged today by LinkedIn’s frothy IPO.