Redundancies at P&O and Cunard in sales team shake-up
P&O Cruises and Cunard have confirmed redundancies as a result of a shake-up of the sales team.
Following a 30-day consultation with staff, the cruise companies have decided to create a new combined team of 46.
They confirmed that 10 people from the current P&O and Cunard sales teams have been made redundant.
A spokeswoman said recruitment was still ongoing for the new roles but that 40% of the new team had already been filled internally.
"After careful consideration and following a full consultation, P&O Cruises & Cunard have decided to proceed with its proposed reorganisation, and will now start to transition to the new structure," said a statement.
"This process is anticipated to take up to two months."
The team is led by Carnival UK VP sales Alex White and is divided into three areas: national partnerships headed by Nathaniel Sherborne, retail partnerships led by Shane Riley, and sales operations led by Natasha Richardson.
The national and retail partnerships teams will have field-based staff providing regional support, while Richardson’s team will oversee investment in training and sales support.
Agency partners will be grouped and managed based on whether they are retail or national accounts.
The cruise line said the new structure was flatter and allows autonomy, but with clearly defined accountability.
"Our agent partners have unique business models and as such, need a customised approach to sell our brands, on their distinct merits, to the right customers," explained White when the restructure was announced last month.
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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