Virgin Atlantic is delighted to announce the appointment of Marc Harding as Country Manager for South Africa. Marc joined Virgin Atlantic 23 years ago and held various roles in the operations and commercial departments across Johannesburg and Cape Town.
For 13 years, Marc’s core position has been part of the commercial team from Account Manager to Sales Manager, leading the South African Sales team, focussing on customers, driving and delivering revenue, leading to his new appointment. Marc’s passion and commitment to Virgin Atlantic over the past 23 years have been made evident by the numerous accolades and awards from trade partners and within the business, with a career highlight as Global Sales Person of the Year in 2019.
Earlier this year, Liezl Gericke was appointed Head of International leading Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific, managing all Virgin Atlantic territories outside the Americas and the UK. She will hand over country leadership responsibility to Marc from 1 July 2023.
Marc Harding, Country Manager, South Africa, commented: “I am so thrilled to be taking on this role for Virgin Atlantic and leading a dynamic team who support me in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The South African routes continue to be top performers for the Virgin Atlantic network, and I’m looking forward to working closely with customers and trade partners to continue to deliver record-breaking results.”
Liezl Gericke, Head of International, Virgin Atlantic, commented: “I am delighted to have Marc leading the South Africa team. I know he will bring incredible passion, energy, and a wealth of experience to this new role. I look forward to working closely with him and leading our team and business in South Africa.”
Virgin Atlantic operates its daily Johannesburg-London Heathrow and seasonally from Cape Town on its B787-900 Dreamliner aircraft. Customers can take to the skies in the airline’s Upper Class, Premium and Economy Light, Classic and Delight cabins and take advantage of over 1000 hours of in-flight entertainment, with the latest films, TV programmes and music channels available throughout the journey.
About Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic was founded by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson in 1984, with innovation and amazing customer service at its core. In 2022, Virgin Atlantic was voted Britain’s only Global Five Star Airline by APEX for the sixth year running in the Official Airline Ratings. Headquartered in London, it employs more than 7,500 people worldwide, flying customers to 31 destinations across four continents throughout the year. Virgin Atlantic recently continued its expansion in the US, launching new routes to Austin, Texas and Tampa, Florida.
Alongside shareholder and Joint Venture partner Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic operates a leading transatlantic network, with onward connections to over 200 cities around the world. In February 2020, Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic launched an expanded Joint Venture, offering a comprehensive route network, convenient flight schedules, competitive fares and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits, including the ability to earn and redeem miles across all carriers. Virgin Atlantic joined SkyTeam in March 2023 as the global airline alliance’s first and only UK member airline, enhancing the alliance’s transatlantic network and services to and from Heathrow and Manchester Airport.
Virgin Atlantic has been pioneering sustainability leadership for more than 15 years, committing to Net Zero by 2050 and continuous action that reduces environmental impact. The airline operates one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient fleets in the skies and has reduced its absolute carbon emissions by 35% over the last decade. In October 2022, Virgin Atlantic welcomed the first of 16 A330-900neos to the fleet, continuing its transformation towards 100% next generation aircraft by 2027. Later in 2023, Virgin Atlantic is leading an industry consortium to deliver the first 100% SAF flight across the transatlantic. Demonstrating that 100% SAF can be used safely as a drop in fuel in existing infrastructure, engines and airframes. The need to scale production is an industry imperative and Virgin Atlantic is committed to radical collaboration across the energy chain to support commercialisation ahead of 2030.
For more information visit www.virginatlantic.com or via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @virginatlantic.