Otter will respond to market and consumer trends to develop the holiday operator’s customer retention strategy.

She moves to Virgin from O2, where she held the role of head of direct marketing, and replaces Kyri Kilakos at Virgin, who is leaving the company. During her six year spell with O2, Otter was responsible for developing the firm’s UK strategies for customer loyalty, convergence and brand protection.

Otter will report to Andrew Shelton, Virgin Holidays’ marketing director, who said: “Sam’s got some fantastic experience and a very strong career history to date, so we’re really delighted to have her join the team. These are exciting times for our brand, and customer loyalty and insight have never been so important. I’m sure she’ll have a very positive impact.”