Eurotunnel has announced the appointment of its new chief commercial officer.

Deborah Merrens will take over the role at the cross-Channel operator on Tuesday, February 28. She had previously been advertising and marketing manager for Eurotunnel Le Shuttle from 1995-1997.

She replaces Jo Willacy who stepped down on October 31.

The new appointment, who will report directly to Francois Gauthey, deputy chief executive of the group, has extensive experience in the travel and marketing industries having previously worked across Europe, the US and Asia.

She began her career at Danone in 1991 as a UK brand manager. She subsequently worked for Delta Airlines, British Airways and Hilton Worldwide, where she was marketing director.

In 2010, she joined Mastercard in Singapore as senior vice president, consumer and digital marketing for Asia, the Middle East and Africa, before being appointed as vice president global marketing and customer experience for Global Blue, a world leader in tax-free shopping.

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