Etihad Airways  announced the appointment of Sarah Built, general manager for Australia and New Zealand, based in Sydney. She will report to the airlines' vice president for Asia Pacific South and Australasia, Lindsay White.

Sarah has 25 years of aviation experience which includes sales and senior management for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, American Airlines, Swiss, Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways.  She joined Etihad Airways in August 2011 as its London-based manager global industry sales, responsible for some of the airline’s major commercial partnerships.

Danny Barranger, Etihad Airways’ vice president global sales, said: “We are delighted to welcome Sarah to the Australian leadership team at an exciting time for the airline.

“We have some major milestones ahead in 2015. First is the introduction of our flagship A380 to Sydney and B787 Dreamliner to Brisbane in June. In August, we’ll add a second daily Boeing 777 to Melbourne.

"All of this at a time when the airline is enjoying unprecedented awareness through our Nicole Kidman campaign and the continuing buzz about The Residence.

“The airline has never been in a stronger position in the Australian market, and Sarah, with her vast experience in airline and stakeholder management, is well-equipped to lead the Australian and New Zealand teams to deliver a winning performance in 2015 and beyond.”

Sarah added: “I am delighted to take up this role at what is a truly exciting time for Etihad Airways. It will be a great honour to work with the local team, our partner airlines and the industry to continue to grow the airline’s business in this very important region and to offer a best-in-class travel experience to more Australian and New Zealand travelers.”