The Family Holiday Association has appointed Martin Realey as chief executive.
Realey, a former army officer, was previously chief executive of mental health charity, Restore.
More recently, he led Build Africa, building schools and delivering education programmes in sub-Saharan rural Africa.
Realey said: “I am delighted to have joined an organisation that does such important work with struggling families. This is an exciting time for the charity as we aim to deliver our goal of doubling the number of families we help every year by the end of 2020.
“I am very much looking forward to working with the dedicated charity team and industry colleagues as we work towards our goals together.”
Realey has replaced long-standing chief executive John McDonald who retired at the end of 2018 after 17 years at the charity.
The Family Holiday Association is a national charity dedicated to helping struggling families take a holiday.