Melinda Kecskes has been appointed general manager marketing and brand at Air Malta. Kecskes will be responsible for the airline’s marketing, brand strategy and to ensure a transition of the Air Malta brand values into each element of the service chain.

Kecskes was one of the founders of Wizz Air, the largest low cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe. At the airline she was responsible for branding and marketing where she developed the Wizz Air brand and defined all elements of the customer journey. As director of marketing and customer experience she successfully launched Wizz Air in 23 countries in Europe and spearheaded the annual marketing strategy, budget and communication plan including objective setting and strategies for building brand awareness and driving sales through cost efficient communication.

Previous airline experience also includes the position held as head of product and service development at Malev Hungarian Airlines where she was responsible for harmonising on-board and ground services and creating a reliable value chain for customers. At Malev she initialised the company’s re-branding project which also included a new long haul business product.

Kecskes started her career at DDB, a leading multinational advertising agency. In her role as account director she handled both multinational and local clients with full responsibility for client service activities, strategic planning, brand development and international project management.

Philip Saunders, chief commercial officer at Air Malta said, “Melinda brings with her a wealth of knowledge. She has a broad understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in successfully developing new airline brands. Her experiences in both the airline industry and the advertising business made her the ideal candidate for this position. I believe she will be a key asset in the rebranding of Air Malta, which will bring about change in our customer’s journey from the reservation process to ground procedures, cabin standards and aircraft configuration.”

On taking up the appointment, Melinda added, “I am looking forward to facing the challenges ahead here at Air Malta. I am confident that together with my team, we can drive forward a new airline brand strategy to ensure a positive future for the airline, our staff and customers. I believe that Air Malta is in a strong position to continue as a main contributor to the development of tourism industry of the islands and I will be working with all stakeholders in the industry to achieve this.”