Virgin Atlantic Cargo appoints Diesel as MD

Virgin Atlantic Cargo has appointed Nick Diesel as its new managing director, effective August 4.

Diesel succeeds Phil Wardlaw, who has been directing the cargo business since 2021 and is leaving the business for another role.

Mark Faulkner, head of cargo commercial, will be acting as interim managing director from June 3 to August 3.

Diesel has been at Virgin Atlantic for nine years and during this time has held various senior leadership roles, most recently as vice president, financial planning, with responsibility for leading the team through post-pandemic recovery and setting a pathway to return to profitability.

With a background in strategy and operations consultancy at Deloitte, Diesel has worked across high-profile projects at Virgin Atlantic, including as finance lead for the expanded joint venture agreement with Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines.

When the pandemic struck, he was responsible for co-ordinating the team through the airline’s £1.5bn recapitalisation, enabling its recovery.

Diesel said: “I am incredibly excited to take on this new challenge. Virgin Atlantic Cargo is one of the most important business units we have, and collectively this team delivered amazing achievements through the pandemic, enabling our recovery.

“As the world starts to normalise, every day they show an unrivalled ability to adapt to an ever-changing world while maintaining a focus on our customers to deliver the best service possible. The cargo division continues on a successful trajectory for 2024 and I look forward to building on this with the team.”

Virgin Atlantic chief commercial officer Juha Jarvinen commented: “We are delighted to welcome Nick to Virgin Atlantic Cargo. Nick played a fundamental role during the pandemic transformation, and I know he’ll bring incredible enthusiasm, ambition, and experience to this role.

“Our Cargo division offers fantastic opportunities for our people, and I look forward to working closely with Nick, as he leads the cargo team into its next phase.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Phil for more than twenty years of service at Virgin Atlantic and his exceptional leadership of the cargo team. We wish him all the best in his new endeavors.”

Virgin Atlantic Cargo did not provide further details on Wardlaw’s future plans.

Virgin appoints Faulkner as head of cargo commercial

Virgin Atlantic Cargo hires head of distribution