Francesca Benati

AMADEUS IT GROUP

Senior Vice President Travel Europa & Amministratore Delegato Italia

Francesca Benati Senior Vice President Travel Sellers Europe & Amministratore Delegato Italy Francesca Benati commenced her career in the advertising industry in 1988, transitioning to the FMCG sector in 1998 where she dedicated over a decade to multinational corporations including Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, and The Lego Group. Her roles encompassed international management positions in Marketing and Communication, along with increasing senior leadership responsibilities across various business areas. Since November 2013, Francesca has been with Amadeus, initially serving as Chief Executive Officer and General Manager for Italy. In April 2018, she was elevated to Senior Vice President Online Travel Channel Western Europe, Middle East, and Africa, while retaining her role as Managing Director for Italy and later extending her oversight to the EMEA region. Effective November 1st, 2021, Francesca assumed the position of Senior Vice President Travel Sellers UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, CESE, and Managing Director Italy Travel Unit. From January 1st, 2023, she leads the European division. Francesca possesses extensive expertise in the online travel industry. Prior to her tenure at Amadeus: • From 2011 to 2013, she served as Managing Director for Italy and Spain at lastminute.com. • In 2010, she held the position of Director of the Digital and e-Commerce division at Blu Vacanze and Cisalpina Group, a prominent Italian network of leisure and business travel agencies. • Between 2007 and 2009, she was Marketing Director for Italy and Country Coordinator for the Italian office at Expedia. Since 2009, Francesca has been a board member of Netcomm with responsibility for the Travel sector. From 2021, she has served as a non-executive board member of TH Resort group, and starting in 2024, she joined the board of Camera di Commercio Spagnola in Italy. Francesca's commitment to the travel industry extends to academia, where she serves as an expert on online travel issues, collaborating wit