Luxury cruise line Silversea has appointed Lisa McAuley as its new UK commercial director.
McAuley will join the Silversea team in June after 15 years with Avis Budget Group where she held senior commercial roles within the business, most recently as head of international sales and strategic accounts for the EMEA region.
She has previously held positions with Travelpack, STS Shearings Holidays, Swallow Hotels and Lunn Poly/Tui Travel.
The announcement comes as part of a major structure change in the UK business.
Speaking about the appointment, Steve Odell, president Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific for Silversea, said: “Lisa’s strong commercial track record will be a further invaluable asset within Silversea and we are delighted that she has chosen to work with such a talented UK team.
“Our re-energised sales structure will enable us to build even stronger relations with our trade partners and continue to offer great value voyages to our guests as Silversea expands further within the crucial UK market.”
The announcement of McAuley’s appointment comes three months after Mike Bonner, the former general manager for the UK for Silversea, left the business and weeks after head of sales Priti Mehta announced she was leaving the luxury line.
Mehta’s departure prompted a change of management at the company with Natasha Donovan taking on the role of acting head of field sales and national accounts for the UK.
As part of the restructure Mafalda Barreto, most recently head of corporate partnerships, has moved to the newly-created position of head of expedition sales, focusing on driving business for Silversea Expeditions.
Additionally, to increase focus on the UK charter and incentive market, Maarten Tromp has joined the team.
Donovan, Barreto and Tromp will all report directly to McAuley.