David V. Jones appointed as President & CEO of Amadeus IT Group from 1 January 2009

• José Antonio Tazón will become Non-Executive Chairman of the Amadeus Board of Directors on 1 January, 2009.
• Luis Maroto becomes Deputy CEO, adding corporate strategy to his current role as Chief Financial Officer
• Philippe Chérèque is promoted to Executive Vice President , Commercial, to replace David Jones


Madrid, Spain, 17, November, 2008 – Amadeus, a leading provider of technology to the travel and tourism industry, today announced that David V. Jones has been appointed to take over as President & CEO of Amadeus IT Group from 1 January, 2009. David Jones has headed up Amadeus global commercial operations since 1992 and has a deep knowledge and experience of the travel industry and Amadeus’ business. He has worked side by side with José Antonio overseeing the evolution of the company from the newest and smallest GDS competitor, to its current position as the world’s leading supplier of travel distribution and IT solutions for the global travel industry. José Antonio Tazón will become Chairman of the Amadeus Board of Directors from January 2009.

José Antonio Tazón said “As I step down from the CEO role it gives me great peace of mind to pass my responsibilities to such an experienced business manager as David Jones. He has the skills and the knowledge to take Amadeus forward to further success. Like all companies we feel the pressure of the world economic downturn, and at times like this it is vital to have the leaders in place that will drive us through to the better times, and future success. David is such a leader.”

Furthermore, Luis Maroto, Chief Financial Officer for Amadeus IT Group is appointed to the additional role of Deputy CEO from 1st January 2009, also taking responsibility for Amadeus’ corporate strategy. Luis remains CFO of the Amadeus Group, a role which he has fulfilled since 2003; Luis joined Amadeus in 2000.

Philippe Chérèque, currently Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy is appointed to the position of Executive Vice President, Commercial to replace David Jones, becoming responsible for all Amadeus commercial operations worldwide. Philippe has been with Amadeus since the creation of the company in 1987.

David Jones said, “It will be difficult to follow a leader with a track record of achievement like José’s and I am delighted that he will remain as Chairman of Amadeus’ Board of Directors. The appointments of Luis Maroto and Philippe Chérèque show a continuity and stability in Amadeus management that is a key factor in our success. Both bring deep knowledge of the travel industry in general and Amadeus’ business in particular to their new roles. I look forward to working with them and the existing management team of Jean-Paul Hamon and Eberhard Haag, Executive Vice Presidents in charge of Development and Operations respectively, Hans-Henning Quast, Vice President Human Resources and Tomás López Fernebrand, Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary.”

- Ends -


About José Antonio Tazón
José Antonio Tazón was appointed President and CEO of Amadeus in October 1990. He has been appointed from January 1 2009 as Non-Executive Chairman of the Amadeus Board of Directors.

José Antonio joined Amadeus in 1987 in the position of General Manager and Senior Vice President, Operations and was instrumental in supervising the construction and operation of Amadeus' Data Processing Centre in Germany, one of the largest civil data processing centres in Europe.

Since becoming President, José Antonio has driven the development of Amadeus to its current position as a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry.

It was under José Antonio's leadership that the Amadeus System became operational in 1992 and rapidly expanded throughout Europe, South America and Asia Pacific. Upon instigating the take over in 1995 of System One, a US computer reservation system, José Antonio gained a major foothold for Amadeus in the US. Since then he has continued to lead the global expansion of Amadeus and to ensure that the company is at the forefront of the travel distribution industry.

Beginning his career with NCR in Dayton, Ohio, José Antonio became a Senior Communications Software Specialist. As Technical Project Leader he developed the company's host hotel system which was first used in the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco.

On returning to Spain, José Antonio joined Iberia Airlines in 1975 as Director of the Department of Maintenance Engineering where Finance was later added to his responsibilities. From 1978 to 1983, he was System Development Director at Iberia, following which he was appointed Head of Systems Planning for all data processing within the airline.

José Antonio graduated from Madrid's Universidad Politécnica with advanced degrees in Telecommunications Engineering and Data Processing.


About David V. Jones
David V. Jones was appointed Executive Vice President, Commercial, for Amadeus Global Travel Distribution, in April 2000 with responsibility for the worldwide implementation of the company's commercial strategy. From 1 January 2009 he will take over as CEO & President of the Amadeus Group.

Since joining the company in 1992, as General Manager of Amadeus Marketing and Senior Vice President of Amadeus Global Travel Distribution, David has played a leading role in the development of Amadeus from a European computerised reservation system, into a truly global business marketed all over the world.

Previously, from 1979, David held various senior appointments in marketing and information systems with British Airways, culminating in the position of Director (Vice President) of Corporate Strategy.
Before British Airways, David spent 10 years with the British Civil Aviation Authority, where his last position was as Head of Economics and Statistics. From 1967-1969, he was an Assistant Lecturer in Economics at the University of Reading.

A British citizen, David holds a BA in Economics from the University of Reading and an MA in Economics from the University of Essex


About Luis Maroto
Luis Maroto was appointed Chief Financial Officer and Vice President, Finance, in May 2003, and is based at the Amadeus headquarters in Madrid, Spain. From 1st January 2009 he will take on the additional role of Deputy Chief Executive Officer, reporting to David Jones.

As CFO he has global responsibility for financial management and control for the Amadeus Group.

Luis has been at Amadeus since 2000 heading the Commercial Finance Department. In this position, he has been responsible for the financial management of the company's commercial operations. Supervising the strategic and financial control of over fifty Amadeus subsidiaries around the world, Luis's area undertook the analysis of business and pricing models, advised on commercial decisions and managed the company's billing system.

Previous to his appointment in Amadeus, Luis worked in high level marketing, business planning and financial functions for the Bertelsmann Group. His last position was Director of Finance and Human Resources at the group's G&J unit in Spain.

A Spanish citizen, Luis graduated in Law at Madrid's Complutense University, gained an MBA at IESE Business School, and further qualifications from Harvard Business School and Stanford.


About Philippe Chérèque
Philippe Chérèque joined Amadeus in 1987 and was appointed Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy at Amadeus Global Travel Distribution in July 1999. Based in Sophia Antipolis (near Nice), he has been charged with driving and co-ordinating the company's business development, marketing, technical architecture and product plan. From 1 January 2009 he will take over global responsibility for all Amadeus’ commercial operations as Executive Vice President, Commercial, reporting to David Jones.

Philippe began his career at Amadeus in the early days of its creation, as Director, Product Definition, based in Miami, US. His focus on the strategic and marketing elements of Amadeus' product initiatives has brought the company to the forefront of product offerings for the travel industry.

Prior to joining Amadeus, Philippe was an officer in the French Navy and subsequently went on to work from 1974 to 1980 with Télémechanique SA in Grenoble, France, where he was Product Manager of Mini Computer Programming Languages.

In 1980 he joined Air France where he held a number of managerial positions in operational research, computer analysis and passenger application software development.

A graduate Engineer of the Institut Supérieur d'Electronique de Paris, Philippe also holds a Master of Science degree in Electronics from the University of Paris.

Notes to the editors

Amadeus is the chosen technology partner for providers, sellers, and buyers of travel. The company provides distribution, IT and point-of-sale solutions to help its customers adapt, grow and succeed in the fast changing travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (airlines, hotels, car rental companies, railway companies, ferry lines, cruise lines, insurance companies and tour operators), travel sellers (travel agencies) and travel buyers (corporations and travellers). Solutions are grouped in four solution categories – Distribution & Content, Sales & e-Commerce, Business Management and Services & Consulting.

Amadeus has central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters & marketing), Nice (development) and Erding (Operations – data processing centre) and regional offices in Miami, Buenos Aires and Bangkok. At market level, Amadeus maintains customer operations in 76 countries covering more than 217 markets.

The company is majority owned by WAM Acquisition, whose shareholders are BC Partners, Cinven, Air France, Iberia and Lufthansa. Amadeus employs over 8,500 employees worldwide, representing 95 nationalities.

More information about Amadeus is available at: http://www.amadeus.com


Contact details

Amadeus
Media Relations / Corporate Marketing
tel : +34 91 582 0160
fax : +34 91 582 0188
e-mail : mediarelations@amadeus.com