WASHINGTON – Matt Hardison has been named the new Amtrak chief marketing and sales officer (CMSO) following the retirement of Emmett Fremaux and will report directly to President and CEO Joe Boardman.
As CMSO, he is responsible for sales distribution and customer service, field marketing, advertising and sales promotion, Amtrak Guest Rewards, market research and analysis, reservation sales, on-board systems, pricing and revenue management, eTicketing and eCommerce. His department will deliver comprehensive marketing and sales services to the internal Amtrak business lines and to the company’s external commercial partners.
“Matt will provide the necessary leadership and continuous improvement of our business processes as we carry out the vision set forth in our Strategic Plan,” Boardman said in a news release.
Hardison joined Amtrak in 1999 as senior director, commercial partnerships and designed and built the Amtrak Guest Rewards loyalty marketing program. In 2002, he was promoted to chief, sales distribution and customer service where during the past 10 years he and his team successfully introduced Wi-Fi and eTicketing, improved revenue management and launched the much lauded “Julie” voice recognition system, among other achievements.
Prior to Amtrak, he was vice president of Hagler Bailly, Inc., a transportation and technology firm and senior vice president and chief operating officer at Apogee Research, Inc.
He has a Master of Business Administration from the Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelor of Science from North Carolina State University.
