MSC Group’s new luxury brand Explora Journeys has made six appointments to its commercial team, including hiring Priti Mehta as head of sales for the UK & Ireland.
Mehta, who left Oceania Cruises earlier this month after six years with the luxury line, will take up the role on December 13 and be based in London.
She has more than 30 years of sales and marketing experience in the luxury travel industry, mostly in the cruise sector, having held sales positions with Silversea and Norwegian Cruise Line before Oceania.
Michael Ungerer, chief executive of Explora Journeys, said: “We have assembled a fantastic, diverse team of enthusiastic, passionate and highly experienced professionals to strengthen further our commitment to the travel advisor community, our valuable partners.
“Explora Journeys in a short period of time has quickly been accepted into several preferred partnership programmes which demonstrates clearly the confidence and trust the travel industry places in Explora Journeys and its team.
“These new commercial appointments, working within the global team led by Chris Austin, are further positive steps forward as we continue to build a truly defining and highly desired, luxury lifestyle brand.”
Other new commercial team members include Helen Beck, who will be based in Geneva as head of global sales excellence, responsible for supporting the development and implementation of the brand`s processes and resources.
Beck spent five years as vice president international sales and marketing at Crystal Cruises and prior to that, 16 years with Royal Caribbean Group as regional director, international representatives, EMEA.
Alongside Mehta, three other new heads of sales have been appointed.
They are Saul Fonseca, for the USA east, and the Americas, who joins from The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and has experience with Silversea Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises; Aimee Price, for USA west and Canada, who has 30 years’ cruise line experience, most recently at Seabourn; and Francisco Sanchez, for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, who spent 11 years with Holland America Line and Seabourn.
Meanwhile, Leyre Torres Campo, joins Explora Journeys as business relationships lead for southern Europe working across Spain, France, and Italy to help create brand awareness and identifying and developing key partnerships. Campo joins from Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
Austin, chief sales officer at Explora Journeys, said: “I am looking forward to work alongside such a talented and highly respected commercial team who will all relish our commitment to the travel advisor community.
“The new team members all have long-established relationships, built on a solid foundation of trust, credibility and experience within the luxury cruise and hospitality industry.”