Led by the newly appointed Managing Director for the UK, David Duff, the new team structure demonstrates Azamara’s commitment to delivering in-market support to trade partners
Pressemitteilung
Azamara – the upmarket cruise line and leader in Destination Immersion® experiences – has today announced a series of enhancements to its UK-based sales team, to bolster market growth and generate greater confidence amongst trade partners in the region.
These changes are a direct result of Azamara’s plans to increase in-market presence and sales function around the world. With global growth a top priority, Azamara has doubled the number of shoreside employees in key markets including the US, the Nordics, Germany, and Australia.
Carol Cabezas, the President of Azamara states, “We recognise the integral role that ‘on the ground’ sales teams have on market performance and the value of their relationships with local trade partners. By introducing new team structures with targeted focuses, such as that in the UK, and with a surge of new hires around the world, we are offering more support to trade partners globally and driving forward our international growth”.
In the UK sales team, David Duff, formerly Azamara’s International Commercial Director, will take on the role of Managing Director, UK. In this new position, David will focus his efforts on developing the UK market, driving growth, and providing visible market leadership. He will manage the UK team across all departments and work closely with the global teams based in Miami, which provide operational, day-to-day support to all international markets.
“This is a really exciting moment for Azamara in the UK” said David Duff, Managing Director, UK at Azamara. “The UK proves to be a leading market for us year-on-year, and now with a reinforced sales team, we can expand our reach even further, visit more travel partners and distribute products across more channels”. “We just had our best year on record in the UK, and with demand for cruising still strong, we are confident that these changes will set the foundations for further success in 2023 and beyond”.
Additional appointments include Lee Surman who will step into a new role as Head of Partnerships and Trading, taking over the commercial support to all markets, building new strategic partnerships and handling the day-to-day commercial needs of the international team.
In a new position as Head of Trade Sales, UK, Stuart Pearce will oversee the UK sales strategy, responsible for driving sales and responding to the challenging needs of the market, enabling us to reach more of the smaller independent agencies and consortia members by also adding new resources to his team with a Business Development Manager role for the UK. Nikki Singleton will take on a greater focus on the top strategic accounts nationally. Lori Scannella returns to deliver UK and EMEA support in her role as Sales Support Manager.
For EMEA, Christina Hannon’s role has expanded to Strategic Accounts Manager for the Nordic and DACH countries where Azamara is establishing relationships for the first time. Christina has worked with partners in the Nordics for years and will continue to develop the market, while also focusing on the important regions of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
Bruno Jansen will utilise his European experience in a new role as Sales Manager for the EMEA IR network, strengthening relationships with an important group of partners that operate on behalf of Azamara in each country. Christina and Bruno will be supported by a new team member, Daniela Riley. With over twenty years of experience working with the trade and helping build sales in EMEA, Daniela will join the team as Sales Support Executive for EMEA and will be based in Switzerland.
Finally, Richard Stanbridge will assume a new role as Trade and Guests Services Manager, International based in London, to support our trade partners and guests.
For more information about Azamara visit www.azamara.co.uk
Text: PM Azamara
