Celebrity Cruises restructures trade support team
Celebrity Cruises has added six new regional sales managers to its trade support team.
The cruise line hopes the move will improve face-to-face support for agents throughout the UK and Ireland.
The new regional sales manager roles replace the previous account manager structure that saw the UK carved into three regions.
Claire Stirrup, head of sales planning and activation UK and Ireland, (pictured here), will lead the expanded team which will have an additional role covering Ireland.
The six areas covered by the regional sales managers are South, including Greater London (Jonny Peat), South East (Helen Green), South West (Neil Davies), and North West (Dan Jones).
The cruise line is currently recruiting for managers for the North East and Scotland and Ireland.
Commercial sales director Sarah Harraghy explained: "At the end of last year we announced that Claire Stirrup’s role covering planning and activation would increase our presence in stores, call centres and at agent events nationwide.
"As we have embraced this new approach the response from our agent partners has been phenomenal and we are increasing Claire’s team to cope with the demand for our face-to-face commitment. Supporting our agent partners in the way that works best for them is key focus for our business."
Previously, the regional sales team had two roles dedicated to the London area, and there will now be a greater spread throughout the country across the six roles.
Further support will also now be given to consortia partners, particularly on a regional level. Bhavneeta Taylor, strategic account manager, consortia, will enjoy additional reinforcements from the regional sales managers.
Michael English, head of business development, will continue leading his team of strategic account managers working to increase Celebrity Cruises’ reach to affluent holidaymakers in targeted areas of the country through cruise specialist and luxury trade partners.
The cruise line is taking a model that worked successfully over the past two years in London, and applying it to regions including the North West, South coast, Midlands and Ireland.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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