Former Royal Caribbean and Island Cruises UK boss Patrick Ryan has joined Canadian rail company Rocky Mountaineer.
He becomes EMEA and India sales director in place of former colleague Leslie Peden who has relocated to establish an office in Orlando as new US sales director.
Ryan and Peden have previously worked together at both Royal Caribbean and Island Cruises.
Based in Surrey, Ryan will be responsible for sales in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India including strategic management, contract negotiations, and business development plans for tour operators, wholesalers, and travel agents.
He will also oversee the operations of the EMEA sales division.
He previously managed his own travel consulting business with clients in the cruise, ferry, sport and destination management sectors, and had a four-month spell last year as chief operating officer of All Leisure Group’s Swan Hellenic and Voyage of Discovery cruise brands.
Rocky Mountaineer global sales vice president Bob Nicholas said: “With the primary sales focus of this role being on the UK, one of our top performing markets, we are delighted to have someone of Patrick Ryan’s calibre and experience lead our already established European-based sales team.
“Our 2014 travel season is just around the corner and early advance sales point to another outstanding year.
“We are excited to have Patrick continue to build on the strong trade relationships we have in the EMEA marketplace and work with our partners to drive profitable growth.”