Swaffield, who has more than 30 years experience in travel, has been working in consultancy since the collapse of Monarch Airlines last October where he was chief executive.
He joined Thomas Cook in 1984 and later spent 17 years working for British Airways and latterly, parent group IAG.
There, he oversaw the creation of the group’s global rewards currency Avios.
Swaffield left in 2014 to head up Monarch, returning the airline to profit following a major restructure.
MORE: Virgin unveils new ‘brand-wide’ loyalty scheme in partnership with Delta
He stepped down as chief executive when Monarch collapsed in October 2017.
Virgin announced on Monday (August 20) Swaffield had been appointed chief executive of its new Virgin Group Loyalty Company.
The scheme, which will be jointly owned by Virgin Group and Delta Air Lines, will “bring reward across the Virgin family together” said the group.
Swaffield said Virgin was one of travel’s most admired brands, adding the new initiative would create a “truly outstanding” rewards proposition for customers.
