Ambassador Cruise Line’s chief commercial officer Phil Gardner will step down from his role after two years with the business

The line said Gardner has been “instrumental” in helping the relatively new cruise brand shape the distribution departments and establish a commercial structure following Ambassador’s launch in 2021.

Christian Verhounig, chief executive officer, said: “Phil has been influential in driving and shaping our commercial structure and strategy.

“It was always planned that he would move on from the business when the time was right, leaving us with a solid team who are focussed on building on the platforms his experience and expertise have brought to the CCO role.”

Verhounig reported that line has seen a “very strong” start to the 25/26 season with triple figure sales growth year-on-year mainly driven by trade.

“We have made and will continue to make additional investments into trade distribution and the wider Ambassador trade team as we look to build on our success moving forwards,” he added.

Ambassador reshuffles executive team amid Gardner departure

Talking on his future plans, Gardner said: “I have some priorities with my family right now and have the unique opportunity of taking some time off over the summer before seeking a new role at the end of the year.

“These opportunities don’t come along in life very often and I am therefore very grateful to the business for helping facilitate this for the coming months.”

He added: “I have found my time with Ambassador to be hugely rewarding. Within the commercial team, we have established a strong new brand, launched two new ships to market, introduced automated yield tools and significantly enhanced our distribution and digital proposition.

“Now is therefore the time to introduce a new structure to take this forward and build on the strong foundations we’ve built to further the success of the business.”

Ambassador has confirmed that Nicola Harper, head of distribution, and Dave Eastwood, head of inventory and trading, will report into Simon Weeks, chief administrative officer.

Gordon Nardini, chief marketing officer, will now report into Verhounig directly.