Riviera Travel has announced that Simon Michaelides will join the cruise and escorted tour specialist as chief customer officer.

The operator said that the newly created role will bring together all aspects of the Riviera brand – marketing, customer service and communications, direct sales, insight and analytics.

The role is intended to allow the business to “further strengthen customer communications, marketing and sales performance and boost growth”, a statement said.

Michaelides, who will report to Riviera Travel CEO Phil Hullah, is currently chief marketing and innovation officer at UKTV, a BBC Studios company.

He is expected to join Riviera in August.

Hullah said: “I am delighted that Simon is joining our team. He brings with him a wealth of consumer and marketing knowledge, a real passion for customers as well as a great deal of commercial and operation experience in senior and board-level positions. I know he’ll fit in really well with the team.”

Michaelides added: “I’m very excited to be joining such a passionate, dedicated and customer-focused organisation.

“Riviera struck me as a great business with a true challenger-brand mentality and a huge amount of untapped potential, in an exciting industry.

“I’m very much looking forward to getting to grips with the travel business and helping to realise the company’s ambitions.”

Riviera recently announced the appointment of Vicky Billing as commercial partnerships manager, as well as Jessica Payne as business development executive.

It has also added to its travel agent visit programme to boost engagement with the trade.