About

Leslie Ekas is a seasoned technology leader with over 34 years of experience in the industry. She is currently serving as the VP of Ordering Services at Expedia Group, where she leads a global team of 100+ software professionals. Leslie is an adaptive leader with technical intuition and a passion for technology, intrigue in eCommerce, and love of travel. Leslie's journey in the technology industry started after completing her Master's in geology at UCLA and becoming one of the first female geologists hired at a large oil company. She later transitioned to the technology industry, starting as a computer expert in the electronics research lab at Boeing. She then worked for other technology companies, where she mastered the Agile development process and coached hundreds of software professionals to become successful. Leslie has made significant contributions to the technology industry, including pioneering game-changing software releases a step ahead in the marketplace. She has also co-authored a book on Agile methods and techniques for corporate teams. As a leader, Leslie builds scrappy, innovative, and disciplined teams and presses each member to be accountable for their career development, performance, and value delivered to customers. She is quick to sponsor high-potential team members towards next-level promotion with mentoring, feedback, and enthusiastic encouragement. Leslie's experience at Expedia includes leading the development of "no-modes" transaction capabilities for the Ordering Services team, including guaranteed transaction orders for payments, fraud, and fulfillment, a powerful travel tax engine for real-time pricing and compliance data streaming, and order traceability to confirm accurate taxation and financial compliance, as well as provide fraud protection. Leslie holds a Master of Science in Geology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and two Bachelor of Science degrees in Geology and Computer Science from the University of Washington. She is a senior software engineer and research scientist with a wealth of experience in the technology industry.