1. Corporate
  2. Media centre
  3. Press releases
  4. Virgin Atlantic appoints Richard McCord as Chief Financial Officer

Virgin Atlantic has today announced the appointment of Richard McCord as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), who will join the travel company and its Executive Leadership Team from 5 October 2026.

Richard will lead the Finance team as the airline strengthens its financial foundations to deliver profitable growth, continues to invest in its premium customer experience, and evolves its future strategy. As CFO, he will have overall accountability for Finance, Treasury, Procurement and Fleet, Insurance, and Internal Audit, while he will become a member of the Virgin Atlantic Board. 

Richard brings extensive CFO and senior finance experience spanning airports, infrastructure and energy businesses. He joins Virgin Atlantic from London Luton Airport, where he has served as CFO since 2021, helping to stabilise its financial position through the Covid-19 crisis, strengthen its strategic and commercial capability, grow profitability, and lead negotiations to deliver long-term capacity growth of the airport.

Prior to London Luton Airport, Richard spent more than a decade at Centrica plc, the FTSE 100 energy and services company, including as CFO of Centrica’s Business Division. He spent his early career at PwC, where he was a Director in the Transaction Services business.

Corneel Koster, CEO, Virgin Atlantic, said: “A very warm welcome to Richard, who will bring a breadth of CFO and leadership experience to Virgin Atlantic. He will make a brilliant addition to our Leadership Team and Board, as we stay focused on investing for our customers, while delivering solid financial returns and value to our stakeholders in the years ahead.

“I would also like to say a huge thank you from all of us at Virgin Atlantic, and on behalf of our Board, to Ansar Hussain, who has fulfilled the role of Interim CFO since 1 January. Ansar is a great leader, who has very skilfully and professionally led us through a highly turbulent period in international aviation, while strengthening our resilience and improving our financial returns throughout. Following this highly successful interim period, we are happy to announce that we are promoting Ansar to Senior Vice President in the Finance function.”

Richard McCord, incoming CFO, Virgin Atlantic, said: “I am excited to be joining a renowned airline and special brand like Virgin Atlantic. I look forward to working with Corneel and the team to drive profitable growth, while retaining what makes Virgin Atlantic special, as we seek to be the most loved travel company.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

About Virgin Atlantic  

Virgin Atlantic was founded by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson in 1984, with innovation and amazing customer service at its core. In 2025, the airline was voted Britain’s only Global Five Star Airline by APEX for the ninth year running in the Official Airline Ratings. Headquartered in London, it employs 9,250 people worldwide, flying customers to 28 destinations throughout the year.  

Alongside shareholder and partner Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic operates a leading transatlantic network, with onward connections to over 200 cities around the world. In 2020, Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic launched an expanded Joint Venture, offering a comprehensive route network, convenient flight schedules, competitive fares and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits, including the ability to earn and redeem miles across all carriers. Virgin Atlantic joined SkyTeam in 2023, as the global airline alliance’s first and only UK member airline, enhancing SkyTeam’s transatlantic network to and from London Heathrow and Manchester.  

Virgin Atlantic has been pioneering sustainability leadership for more than 15 years, committing to Net Zero by 2050 and continuous action that reduces environmental impact. The airline operates one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient fleets in the skies, with an average age of 7.5yrs. In 2022, Virgin Atlantic welcomed its first A330-900’s to the fleet, continuing its transformation towards 100% next generation aircraft by 2028.

 For more information visit www.virginatlantic.com or via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @virginatlantic.