After a standout year marking ROL Cruise’s 30th anniversary, the agency’s leadership team have set their sights on reaching the next level in 2026. We catch up with CEO Rosie Cairns and CCO Sarah Wikevand to find out more

Companies don’t win Best Technology Innovation at the Wave Awards for resting on their laurels. The gong is set aside for businesses at the forefront of growth, implementing new technologies to reach more customers, secure sales and boost engagement.

The winner of this year’s accolade, ROL Cruise, embodies just that. Having sat down with CEO Rosie Cairns and CCO Sarah Wikevand earlier this year at the company’s head office in Colchester, it was clear to me that ROL’s 30th year wasn’t just an opportunity to throw a party and update a logo.

This year the agency has launched a new app – the reason behind its Wave Awards success – welcomed Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnel as a Cruise Miles ambassador and ironed out a robust game plan for 2026.

As I sit down with Cairns and Wikevand, there’s one thing that has remained consistent since our first conversation earlier this year: the importance of people to the company. “We’ve now got 150 business owners in the company, and the energy has never been higher,” Cairns says.

“The fact that more than 80 per cent of our staff with six months’ service have had a promotion goes to show how important people are to us. Our core value has always been quality, and that comes from the investment we’ve made in our people. It’s their level of service, their loyalty, their passion and pride that allows us to deliver that quality time and time again.”

ROL’s 30th year has coincided with its first anniversary of becoming employee-owned, a move the brand made to give more power to its 130-strong workforce. “We’ve built this business on people who genuinely care,” Wikevand adds. “You can teach product, you can teach process, but you can’t teach passion. That’s what sets ROL apart.”

In the next 12 to 18 months, Cairns hopes to cement ROL’s established customer base and company ethos by introducing tweaks and enhancements on the programmes it already has in place. “We plan to make improvements within our database and customer journey to make sure we’re delivering the right product to the right customer,” she says.

For Wikevand, enhancing the level of service she and Cairns provide across all touchpoints is crucial. “What’s really important to us is the quality we provide, to our customers, our business partners and our co-owners. That’s our key objective across the board,” she says.

“Our priority now is sustainable growth. Not just growing bigger, but growing better. The market is evolving, and we’re making sure we evolve with it, without losing what makes us special.”

Speaking ahead of the 2026 wave season, Wikevand encourages agents to research before making decisions. “Wave promotions are lasting longer than in the past,” she says. “Some are going three months, which makes it difficult – how do you make a campaign exciting for that long? We’ll continue to focus with our key partners. We don’t want to go head-to-head with everyone else.”

It’s important that first-time cruisers get on the right ship; if they don’t, they’ll never cruise again

She continues: “There are still lots of questions around cruise. It’s important that first-time cruisers get on the right ship; if they don’t, they’ll never cruise again.”

Keeping one eye on the future, Cairns further reports an increase in further-out bookings, which she puts down to a boost in confidence amongst travellers. “We’re seeing incredibly strong demand, with bookings stretching further out than we’ve seen in years,” she explains.

“That confidence speaks volumes about where the industry is heading.” “The repeat business we’re seeing tells us something important: when you deliver consistency, people come back and they bring their friends.

Cruise customers today are more informed, more curious and more discerning. They want experiences that feel personal and meaningful, and the industry must keep up with that.”

It’s clear from our conversation that ROL Cruise is well prepared to storm into its 31st year on the coattails of consistent positive booking momentum, having laid the groundwork for another successful 12 months. Pair this with an empowered workforce of co-owners, a razor-sharp focus on quality and customer satisfaction and a clear plan for sustainable growth, and it’s clear that Cairns and Wikevand are primed to lead ROL Cruise into its next chapter. And if 2025 was anything to go by, 2026 could be its best yet.