Karim Mekachera has been appointed as director of Atout France UK & Ireland, replacing Gwenaelle Delos, who held the role for 11 years.
He is responsible for promoting France to the British and Irish markets and joined the London-based team from his position as director of Atout France Middle East & Turkey, based in Dubai.
Before his assignment in the Gulf, Mekachera was director of Atout France India, where he set up the Mumbai office and introduced destinations such as Chamonix, Deauville and Cannes to the Indian market.
He has more than 20 years of experience in marketing in a variety of sectors, beginning his career as an account manager for a UK company distributing semi-conductor components to industrial companies.
He then founded and managed a company distributing industrial and electronic components before turning to tourism in 2005.
Mekachera holds an MBA from the London Business School and a Master’s degree in social sciences from the Sorbonne University.
He said: “I am looking forward to taking on the challenges of my new role, as we celebrate 120 years of the Entente Cordiale.
“Our mission is to consolidate France’s position as a leading destination in the British and Irish markets by working with all stakeholders, to improve accessibility to our regions and strengthen the links between our territories and local tourism providers.”
Delos left Atout France in May to take up a new role as France business development director at Hopscotch Interface Tourism, based in Paris.