Rob Solomon has been chosen as the new
president and chief executive officer of SideStep.
Solomon has also been named to SideStep’s board of directors. He was formerly vice president and general manager of the Yahoo! Shopping Group, where he was instrumental in building one of the largest commerce destinations on the Internet.

Solomon’s vertical search expertise is considerable, having significantly
grown one of the Web’s premiere vertical search sites—Yahoo! Shopping.
Additionally, he brings extensive experience in the travel industry to
SideStep, having run Yahoo!‘s travel business. Solomon was with Yahoo! for six
years.
  “Rob Solomon has the track record and ingenuity to strengthen SideStep’s
position as the leader in travel search and ultimately continue to transform
the online travel market,” said Jim Barnett, SideStep’s chairman of the board.
“A veteran of portal and search wars, Rob has seen and touched all aspects of
Yahoo!‘s business—from startup to hyper-growth. He possesses the knowledge
and leadership to take SideStep to the next level and capitalize on a search
engine on the verge of mass expansion.”
  “SideStep is an innovative company with a strong heritage—a six year
history that began with creating the vertical search market,” said Solomon. “I
believe in its mission to revolutionize the online travel search sector and
look forward to leading the executive team to continue to define and extend a
leadership role within the category.”
  Solomon brings a blend of consumer, commerce, travel and Internet search
experience to SideStep. Having served as a Yahoo! corporate officer, Solomon
has proven strategy, product and leadership skills. He was instrumental in
driving major accolades for Yahoo! including, Shopping Search Engine of the
Year (Search Engine Watch) and top ratings in key Comparison Shopping Reports
(Consumer Reports and Forbes). He brings relevant experience from top
companies such as consumer technology leader Electronic Arts and travel
services powerhouse Cendant Corp. A UC Berkeley graduate, Solomon begins his
new post on January 23, 2006.
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