Amadeus IT Group today revealed it has hired Champa Magesh as managing director for UK & Ireland, effective June 1st 2015.

Magesh will be based at Amadeus UK’s head office at Gatwick Airport, replacing former managing director Diane Bouzebiba.

Earlier this year, Bouzebiba was promoted to the role of director of distribution strategic initiatives at Amadeus headquarters in Madrid.

Magesh will be responsible for overseeing business strategies across all channels in corporate and leisure travel, leading Amadeus’ initiatives to grow the brand in the UK and Ireland while driving technological innovation.

She will spearhead Amadeus’ ongoing transformation of the UK and Irish customer experience and assist the team in developing the business and diversifying the company’s solutions and services portfolios.

David Doctor, Amadeus vice president Western Europe, Middle East, and Africa, said: “I am delighted to welcome Champa to the Amadeus UK & Ireland team.

“Her experience in overseeing and growing the profitability of a range of business units on an international level will be a huge asset to Amadeus and bring a depth of understanding that our customers and partners will really benefit from.

“These are exciting times for Amadeus as we build on significant gains achieved in 2014.

“We are excited that she is on board as we continue to grow our business and brand in the UK and Irish markets.”

Champa has a wealth of commercial and travel experience, having previously held the role of vice president and general manager, UK, Ireland and Switzerland at American Express Global Business Travel, where she was responsible for client management, sales, premium revenue lines, and a range of staff groups.

She has also held a number of different functional and commercial roles across many international companies in diverse sectors such as travel, technology, pharmaceutical distribution and mining.