Torey Kings-Hodkin is to join Royal Caribbean International as the line’s new head of key accounts.
Thomas Cook’s former head of commercial partnerships will be part of the UK and Ireland’s senior leadership team in her new role, which was previously held by Donna Carley, who left the line before Christmas.
Kings-Hodkin will take up her position on February 10 and will run a team of key account managers that currently comprises of six people but could soon rise to seven.
The line is recruiting for another key account manager.
Kings-Hodkin will report into UK and Ireland director of sales Martin MacKinnon.
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Ben Bouldin, Royal Caribbean’s associate vice-president and UK managing director, said: “Torey will be running what is a growing key account team.
“We are going to have a really strong year and we have loads going on. The team will be working at full tilt when Torey starts.”
Bouldin said Carley’s departure was “the right thing for both parties” and due to “a culmination of things”.
Kings-Hodkin held several positions during her 27-year career with Thomas Cook including head of cruise and Disney Partnerships; head of retail for eight-and-a-half years; and regional sales manager.
In 2018, she won the Clia cruise manager of the year award at the trade association’s Cruise Excellence Awards.
Bouldin hopes Kings-Hodkin will “mentor and coach” Royal’s new head of field sales Karen Tucker, who was promoted from product manager to the newly-created role as part of a raft of changes to the line’s UK and Ireland sales team announced earlier this month.