Virgin Atlantic Leadership Team

Craig was appointed Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic Airways on 1 February 2013 which has a fleet of 40 long haul aircraft, flying six million passengers a year all over the world. He joins from American Airlines (AA), where he had a 27-year career spanning commercial, financial and strategic roles in the US and around the globe.

Craig joined AA in 1985 as an analyst and was appointed Senior Vice President, Customer in 2012. He spent six years in London as Senior Vice President, International and was responsible for AA operations and sales throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Pacific. He has worked on AA joint ventures with British Airways and Iberia across the Atlantic, as well as its partnership with Japan Airlines in the Pacific.

Craig holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California at San Diego, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.

As Chief Commercial Officer, Shai oversees a team responsible for Virgin Atlantic’s international marketing, network and alliances, revenue management, sales and loyalty.  Shai is also responsible for developing the airline’s long term strategy as well as the company’s transformation program aimed at becoming an even more agile and nimble carrier.  Together with leadership team, Shai is focused on achieving profitable growth by translating the Virgin Atlantic’s unique assets into a Virgin experience to delight our guests. Shai is a member of the Virgin Atlantic Board of directors, a position he has held since the summer of 2012.

Shai joined Virgin Atlantic as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in July 2014 From Virgin Management Ltd, where he had been an Investment Partner since 2012 and was a Founding Partner of Virgin Green Fund.

Shai has extensive financial and operational expertise. Prior to joining Virgin Group, he held several senior management positions at ntl:Telewest (now Virgin Media), the UK and Europe’s largest cable operator. Shai was part of the turn-around of ntl with roles including Managing Director of Consumer Products, Director of Operations, and Director of Financial Planning for the Consumer division. Shai was also behind the merger between Virgin Mobile UK and ntl:Telewest and the re-brand to Virgin Media.  Prior to ntl, Shai established the European office of early-stage technology venture fund JVP and was a senior associate with Morgan Stanley.

Shai holds an MBA from Columbia University in New York and a BBA from City University of New York, Baruch College. He resides in London with his family, attends Arsenal games whenever he can, reads The New Yorker magazine from cover to cover and attempts to play basketball.

Phil Maher was appointed Executive Vice President of Operations in March 2013. He is responsible for the safe and reliable delivery of Virgin Atlantic’s flying programme and ensuring that the airline continues to deliver a best in class, customer-focused, operation.

Phil oversees the 2,700 people who work across Operations, which includes pilots, flight and ground operations, aircraft maintenance, engineering services, corporate safety, security and resilience, cargo operations, property services and training. He is also responsible for Virgin Atlantic’s international cargo operation.

He is the Accountable Manager for all regulatory approvals and certificates for Operations, Engineering, Safety and Security, and is the Executive sponsor for fleet transition projects including the B787, A332 and A350 entry-into-service. While at Virgin Atlantic he has led significant improvements in operational performance and reliability, developed significant product and service improvements and led numerous transformational projects.

Phil is a trustee of the Virgin Atlantic Foundation (VAF), supporter of the Virgineers Golf Society and a fellow of both the Chartered Management Institute and the Royal Aeronautical Society.

He began his aviation career in the Army Air Corps in Dublin. Following this, he obtained a Master’s Degree in Business from Henley Business School before joining British Airways in 2004, where he held senior roles in Operations, Engineering and Safety and Security Management.

Phil’s passion for aviation stretches well beyond his day job, and he enjoys flying private aircraft and relaxing on the golf course.

Mark Anderson is Executive Vice President - Customer at Virgin Atlantic, responsible for all customer-facing teams including Customer Experience Design, Contact Centres, Airports, Clubhouses, Inflight Services and Crew. Mark is a true commercial customer champion and passionate about developing people to be their best.

Before his appointment, Mark was Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Virgin Holidays where in less than 3 years, he developed a high performing team that achieved record people engagement scores and operating profits with strong customer advocacy. He has over 25 years of senior management experience in retailing and travel.

In his (rare) spare time, Mark is a qualified white water kayak coach and keen horse rider. He is a Trustee of Pennies, the digital charity that gives small change a big purpose and lives in Kingston upon Thames.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language & Literature from the University of Southampton and studied with TIAS Business School in the Netherlands for a Masters in Retail Management.

Don Langford is Senior Vice President, Technology overseeing all of the technology initiatives which are key to positioning Virgin Atlantic for future success. Don and his team recently introduced the airline’s new cutting-edge passenger service system, AIR4, the biggest business and technology transformation in Virgin Atlantic’s history. AIR4 provides employees with the latest technology to care for and delight the airline’s passengers, and offers customers enhanced features for managing their travel from ticketing to arrival.

Don joined Virgin Atlantic from American Airlines and holds over 30 years’ experience in the airline industry. In his prior role at American Airlines, Don was Vice President Customer Care based in Fort Worth, Texas. In that capacity he was responsible for 12 contact centres and 81 airports where he led over 8,000 employees across the globe. Don has also spent over a decade working for American Airlines in the UK, acquiring citizenship during that time. Here, he was Managing Director for Customer Service, Europe and India, and before that he held the role of Managing Director of AA’s operations at Heathrow.

Don graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1981. He and his family reside in London, from where he attends the matches of his beloved Manchester City whenever possible.

Tom Mackay was appointed Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President in January 2017. He is responsible for the financial operations of the business and is focused on achieving profitable growth combined with a healthy return on capital deployed.  Legal, External Affairs and Fleet Planning also form part of Tom’s activities.

Tom has a 20 year career in finance, bringing a wealth of financial experience from roles spanning a number of different industries. Prior to joining Virgin Atlantic in September 2015, Tom served as Head of Finance for the Food business at Marks and Spencer PLC, and had previously held the role of International Head of Finance, responsible for all areas of finance within the M&S international business.

Previously he held roles  at  Logica PLC the FTSE 100 IT and Outsourcing group (now part of The CGI Group) as CFO for their International and Global Operations covering the America’s and Asia and prior to that Group Financial Controller , having begun his career at Ernst and Young now EY.

He is a Chartered Accountant, holding a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Durham university, is married with two children, and enjoys coaching kids’ sport, cycling and outdoor activities. 

Joe Thompson was appointed Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Virgin Holidays in January 2017. He is responsible for all aspects of Virgin Holidays' performance, ensuring it continues to be an industry leader in serving and delighting customers.

He joined Virgin Atlantic in 2003 and has built a wealth of experience in a number of leadership roles, most recently as Senior Vice President for Sales & Distribution. As part of this brief, Joe was responsible for the joint venture relationship with Delta Air Lines as well as the global sales team. 

Joe spent two years as General Manager Airport Operations, where he led great progress in operational performance and customer service across the network. He became Director of Short Haul and Joint Venture Performance in spring 2013, before taking on the role of SVP Network and Alliances in 2014. Earlier in his Virgin Atlantic career, Joe led country teams in both Hong Kong and India with responsibility for all Virgin Atlantic’s passenger activities in those territories.

Joe has a MA in Natural Sciences and a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Cambridge. He is a keen cyclist and occasionally commutes by bike from his home in Richmond to his office in Crawley.

Joe is currently on parental leave looking after his baby daughter, and David Geer is the interim Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Virgin Holidays until Joe returns in July 2017.  

Nikki joined Virgin Atlantic as Senior Vice President - People in March 2017 and is responsible for the People team which includes Corporate Communications, Occupational Health & Staff Travel.  Nikki is also responsible for the people strategy to ensure our staff are at the heart of what we do. She is passionate about helping people be at their best to deliver brilliantly to our customers.

Nikki has over 20 years HR leadership experience across many sectors and joined Virgin Atlantic from Lloyds Banking Group. She held a number of HR leadership roles during the 15 years at Lloyds, more recently as HR Director for Scottish Widows and People Director for the Talent & Development centre of excellence for the whole group. She is passionate about inclusion and diversity in the workplace by giving opportunities to all.

Nikki holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology & Politics from Aston University and is a corporate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development. She is married with four children and enjoys running, swimming and skiing.