Former Thomas Cook chief executive Harriet Green said she will donate more than £3m of a £10m shares payout to a charity chosen by the parents of two children who died on a Thomas Cook holiday in 2006.

Green was due to receive 7 million shares in July as part of her remuneration package. She quit the company in November after just two years at the helm.

Her donation follows a media storm over the company’s handling of the deaths.

Earlier this month an inquest returned a verdict of unlawful killing from carbon monoxide poisoning but Thomas Cook was criticised for being slow to apologise to the family.

Yesterday, Green told Reuters that media reports of her failure to apologise were inaccurate. While in charge of the travel company she wrote to the children’s father, offering a meeting but received no reply, she said.

"I have now reached out to the parents of Bobby and Christi Shepherd. On the basis that Thomas Cook are due to give me 7 million shares, I have told the parents that I will donate one third of that to a charity of their choice," she said.

"This terrible tragedy did not happen on my watch ... All of my actions were to make Thomas Cook strong so that this did not happen again."

Last week, current chief executive of Thomas Cook Peter Fankhauser, announced that he had donated £1.5m - half a compensation payout from the hotel in Corfu where the children died, to Unicef.

A spokeswoman for Thomas Cook told Civil Society News that it has not received any information about which charity will receive the funds.

Green is credited with turning around the fortunes of the travel company, reducing the its debt and raising profits. During her time as chief executive, its market value rose from £148m to around £2bn.

A representative of Green was approached for comment but did not respond by the time of going to press.