Anthony Uphill, currently Director of Partnerships & Strategy for American Express Travel, is joining Virgin Atlantic next month as Vice President Sales.
Starting on May 5, he will be responsible for the airline’s sales performance, with direct accountability for corporate and agency sales and working closely with joint venture partners Delta Air Lines, Air France and KLM.
He will also explore new revenue growth opportunities with SkyTeam and other partner airlines across Virgin Atlantic’s global portfolio.
Uphill has been with Amex for just over three years leading a global team to forge strategic partnerships in air, car and land services for the Platinum Card and Centurion.
He was previously SM Global Travel Digital Transformation at Accenture and before that worked for American Express GBT as Global General Manager Financial Services.
Uphill joins after the departure of Luke Goggin, Virgin Atlantic Vice President Global Sales, who left in October 2025 after less than two years with the airline.
“I have long admired Virgin Atlantic and I’m delighted to be taking on this pivotal role at such an exciting time for the business,” said Uphill.
“The airline has a powerful brand, a differentiated premium proposition and strong global partnerships, which together create significant opportunity in the corporate and agency space.
The appointment is the latest in a number of changes in the Virgin Atlantic senior management team in recent months.
The airline’s new Chief Executive Officer Corneel Koster took on the top role in January and put a new team in place.
Dave Geer, previously Senior Vice President, Operations, became Chief Commercial Officer, Suzanne Roddie was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, and Juha Jaervinen was appointed Chief Customer Officer.
Geer said Uphill would now be looking to the future as Virgin Atlantic begins a “slow and steady” transition to New Distribution Capability (NDC).
“We will be taking a slower approach than other airlines. Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be the first,” Geer said.
“We want to make sure the technology works and that the servicing is working. We are not going to force the trade on to NDC by hitting them with surcharges. We will be initially starting with the aggregators.
“We know there has got to be a good reason for the trade to move on to NDC by offering better content, better retailing and better customisation. Ultimately it’s got to be a win-win for both sides.”
