WHY IT RATES: Yuli Thompson has been with Virgin Atlantic for more than 12 years and most recently held the role of vice president, pricing and ancillary revenues. -Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Senior Writer
Virgin Atlantic Limited (Virgin Atlantic) announced that Yuli Thompson will be appointed Vice President of North America, effective September 1, 2018.
Thompson will oversee Virgin Atlantic's day-to-day commercial operations and brand development for North America, which includes airport operations, customer service, finance, sales and marketing. Thompson will take over for Chris Rossi, a 26-year veteran of Virgin Atlantic.
Thompson joined Virgin Atlantic in 2006; with stints in distribution, alliances, revenue management and was most recently vice president, pricing and ancillary revenues where she was responsible for launching branded fares for the airline and growing Virgin Atlantic's competitive positioning globally from a pricing perspective. Thompson will be located in Atlanta, ensuring continuity in Virgin Atlantic's North American leadership and driving success for the company's joint venture with Delta Air Lines.
Rossi will assume the role of managing director-sales, NY financial with Delta Air Lines, where he will be responsible for the continued growth of the private equity vertical and will represent Delta and its joint venture partners within the local international community of tourist boards and associations.
Rossi is leaving the company on August 31, 2018, after leading the successful relocation of Virgin's North American headquarters from Norwalk, Connecticut, to Atlanta, Georgia. Since 2007, Rossi has been responsible for setting the overall strategic direction for Virgin in its largest growth market.
"I'm excited Yuli is taking up this new opportunity. During her tenure, Yuli has proven to be an excellent leader and has motivated her team to create innovative ways to compete in the market," said Dave Geer, senior vice president of revenue management, digital and distribution at Virgin Atlantic. "It is important for her to be close to Delta in her new role, to streamline our commercial work and share our ideas to get the most out of the partnership."
"Throughout his career Chris has made an invaluable contribution to our company in many roles and has played a fundamental role in Virgin Atlantic's growth in North America, culminating with the establishment of our successful and industry-leading Joint Venture with Delta Air Lines," said Oli Byers, senior vice president of sales and customer loyalty. "Chris will be deeply missed across Virgin Atlantic and by many of us. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Chris and wish him a successful future beyond Virgin Atlantic."
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