Star Alliance, the world’s leading global airline alliance, has announced significant leadership appointments aimed at advancing its mission to provide a seamless travel experience for customers across its member airlines. The appointments are set to strengthen Star Alliance’s strategic focus on enhancing the customer journey, from booking to post-travel loyalty.
Ambar Franco has joined Star Alliance as Vice President, Customer Experience. Franco will oversee the development and implementation of initiatives designed to improve the entire customer journey, from booking to airport experiences and inter-airline connectivity. She brings a wealth of expertise from her previous roles in the travel industry, including her most recent position at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
Luc Lachoix has been appointed Vice President, Digital & Technology. Lachoix will be responsible for Star Alliance’s IT architecture, operations, and security, as well as supporting the IT needs of customer experience and loyalty programs. Lachoix has extensive experience in the airline industry, having held leadership roles at travel technology companies such as Amadeus and Sabre.
Renato Ramos, who has been with Star Alliance for seven years, will now serve as Vice President, Strategy. Ramos will drive the alliance’s strategic initiatives and business planning, working to enhance cross-functional collaboration. Prior to this, he served as Director of Loyalty at Star Alliance and has held roles at Avianca and LATAM Airlines.
Gayatheri Silvakumer takes on the role of Vice President, People and Culture, where she will focus on talent retention and organizational development. With a diverse background in senior HR roles across industries including McCann Worldgroup, Bombardier, and Rolls-Royce, Silvakumer brings valuable experience to shaping Star Alliance’s human capital and culture strategy.
Theo Panagiotoulias, CEO of Star Alliance, expressed his confidence in the new leadership team, stating, “I am delighted to work with such a diverse leadership team. They bring extensive experience from within and outside the aviation industry to fast-track our mission of delivering a seamless customer experience at key touchpoints in their travels. Ambar, Luc, Renato, and Gayatheri are each passionate about our vision and executing on it, always with our member airlines’ end-customer in mind.”
