Sam Gilliland is appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Accelya. He will replace former CEO Jim Davidson as he steps into the role of Vice Chairman, where he will continue to advise Accelya’s Executive Committee and the Board of Directors
Jim Davidson said: “Sam and I have known each other for decades, and share a passion for innovation. Sam´s deep industry experience and proven leadership across software speak for themselves and make him the perfect leader to scale Accelya and evolve our strategy to achieve our ambitions.”
On his appointment, Gilliland commented: “I am honoured to join the team at Accelya as we drive the next phase of growth and maintain our unwavering commitment to delivering outstanding value to our customers. I look forward to working closely with the executive team, which is comprised of the best software expertise in the industry. We look to spearhead the continued digital transformation of the airline industry, empowering customers to innovate while also providing flexibility and choice.”
Gilliland has a track record in driving business transformation across the travel tech industry. He spent 25 years at the Sabre Corporation starting out as a software engineer. Gilliland held several senior positions within the organization, including CEO of Travelocity and president of Sabre Airline Solutions. Ultimately, Gilliland was named Chairman and CEO of Sabre in 2003, leading more than 10,000 employees in 60 countries. Most recently, Gilliland served as CEO of Cherwell Software, a provider of mission-critical workflow automation solutions for corporations.