Former Carnival Cruise Line director of international sales Luke Smith has joined Crystal in the newly created role of VP sales UK & EMEA

The line says Smith will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the role, while enabling the company to “further support its trade partners and achieve strategic growth in the UK and across Europe.”

Smith will be responsible for driving trade sales distribution across the UK and EMEA as well as overseeing the performance of agency sales, managing inside sales functions and collaborating closely with the marketing team to grow Crystal’s exposure.

Matias Lira, senior vice president, trade sales – Americas, UK & EMEA, Crystal, said: “I am delighted to welcome Luke to the team and am confident that his knowledge, experience and impressive track record will prove invaluable as we continue to expand our sales presence within these important markets.

Smith added: “Our trade partners are going to be pivotal to our success going forward and so my primary focus will be on them, how we can work together as a true partnership and what they need from us both commercially and in order to fully understand what makes Crystal exceptional compared with our competition.

“There is work to be done and I am open to feedback and honest conversation with trade partners across all markets to ensure that we build long-lasting and successful relationships.”