Thomas Cook Group has appointed Five TV boss Dawn Airey as a non-executive board director.
She is the first female to take on this role since the company’s merger with MyTravel in 2007.
Airey is the chair and chief executive officer of Five TV, a position she has held since October 2008. Prior to that she was managing director of global content at ITV.
Airey was also an independent non-executive director of easyJet between 6 April 2004 and 31 December 2008.
Thomas Cook Group chairman Michael Beckett said: “This appointment further strengthens and complements the composition of our board. Dawn brings current and wide-ranging experience to our deliberations as we deliver against our strategy and create value for our shareholders.”
A spokeswoman for the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association, which has 2,000 Cook members, said she welcomed the move. “We hope to see more women and ethnic minorities in senior positions at Thomas Cook.”