Sabre Travel Network, a global technology company serving travel agencies and suppliers, has named Marco Benincasa as country director for its business in Italy.

Benincasa will be responsible for spearheading the Sabre’s growth and strategic direction in the country, including a transformation of the company’s offline business.

He joins Sabre from eNett, an electronic payment system provider for the travel industry, where he was area director for Southern Europe.

Stephane Aita, Sabre’s vice president for Western Europe, said: “Marco is a well-known and respected figure in the Italian travel industry. His experience, extensive knowledge of the business and his strong travel agency relationships will give us the drive and dedicated focus we need to grow in this marketplace.

Benincasa replaces Antonella Vecchio who has been promoted to the position of business development director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and has relocated to Sabre’s regional headquarters in London.

He said: “I have joined Sabre at an extremely exciting time. The company has invested heavily in new and innovative products over the last year, and is continuing to strengthen its pool of talent across the region. There are phenomenal opportunities for Sabre in Italy and I will be striving to take the business to the next level.”

Benincasa started his career in the pharmaceutical industry before joining British Airways in 1990 as regional marketing manager for Southern Europe. He spent nine years with the airline in various roles, including commercial director for Italy, and general manager for Italy and Malta.

Later, he joined Italian regional carrier Air One as managing director, before spending several years with Travelport as vice president for South Europe.

Benincasa has a law degree from the Universita’ degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza and a masters’ degree in business administration from the University of Washington DC. He is married, has a son and lives in Rome.