Windstar Cruises has appointed Carla Hines to the newly-created role of manager, sales operations and enablement

Based in the UK and reporting into Windstar’s managing director, global commercial Helen Beck, Hines will support the company’s global commercial teams by improving sales processes, tools and systems.

Prior to joining Windstar, Hines was head of sales for the EMEA region for Hurtigruten and also spent time with Royal Caribbean International, initially as a senior trading executive before becoming head of sales administration EMEA.

The new role has been created, Windstar said, to bring “greater structure and consistency” to Windstar’s global sales operations, helping commercial teams spend less time on administration and more time supporting travel advisors and driving sales.

Working with teams across sales, marketing, revenue management and operations, Hines will look to help streamline booking and pipeline reporting, identify opportunities to improve workflows, and ensure best practices are shared across all markets. She will also support training and onboarding initiatives to help teams maximise the benefits of new tools and systems.

Beck said: “Carla is joining the team at exactly the right time as we grow our global footprint and I’m excited for the contributions that her experience and knowledge bring us. If we can make sales feel easier and faster for our teams and our partners, that’s a big win.”

Carla added: “Sales operations should make life easier, not more complicated. The opportunity here is to build things that people genuinely want to use, and that help our teams and partners sell with confidence without adding unnecessary layers.”

The appointment comes following the launch of Star Seeker, the line’s newest Star class yacht, which joined the fleet in December 2025. Star Explorer will debut in December 2026, with its naming ceremony taking place in London in June 2027.