Sam Gilliland

Sam Gilliland is currently a member of the Sabre Holdings board of directors. Sabre is the world's leading travel technology company. Sam previously served as Chairman and CEO of Sabre for 10 years, where his love of travel, entrepreneurial spirit and technical expertise inspired him to lead more than 10,000 employees in 60 countries, spanning all segments of the travel industry. He was appointed to that role in 2003.

Prior to that, Sam served in several senior leadership positions at Sabre including president and CEO of Travelocity, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Sabre, group president of Sabre Airline Solutions, and senior vice president and general manager of Sabre Business Travel Solutions, a start-up venture within the company.

Before joining Sabre in 1988, Sam worked as an electrical engineer for Lockheed Missiles and Space in Austin, Texas.

A recognized leader in the travel and tourism industry, Sam was appointed to the President’s Management Advisory Board by U.S. President, Barack Obama, in March 2011. In 2012 he was appointed to serve as vice chair during a third term on the U.S. Commerce Department’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Committee to the Secretary of Commerce. Also in 2012, Sam joined the Energy Security Leadership Council (ESLC), a group of prominent business and military leaders who support long-term policies to reduce U.S. oil dependence. Additionally, Sam serves on the Board of Directors for Rackspace Hosting, Inc., the service leader in cloud computing. Sam holds an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Dallas and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Kansas.