Former head of Thomas Cook’s commercial partnerships, Torey Kings-Hodkin, will join Royal Caribbean as the cruise line’s head of key accounts.

Starting on 10 February, Kings-Hodkin will also be a new addition to the line’s UK and Ireland senior leadership team.

Royal Caribbean UK & Ireland sales director, Martin MacKinnon, said: “Already well known and respected by many of our trade partners, I’m thrilled that Torey is joining our team and bringing a wealth of travel retail experience with her.

“Torey joining our team is the continuation of the amplification of our sales team which will set us up for an invigorating and hugely promising 2020 and beyond, where the relationships we hold our trade partners continue to be paramount.”

Kings-Hodkin will report to MacKinnon and manage a team of six key account managers. With experience in the travel and retail sectors, she joins the brand following 27 years at Thomas Cook where she worked across a number of senior roles, including head of retail and head of commercial partnerships.

Already familiar with the cruise industry, in her last two years at Thomas Cook, Kings-Hodkin was responsible for leading Thomas Cook’s cruise business, a remit that expanded to include relationships with all 150 third-party supplier partners.

She has also been actively involved with CLIA, sitting on the travel agents forum and winning the 2018 CLIA award for Cruise Manager of the Year.

Kings-Hodkin said: “I am so excited to be joining such an innovative and forward-thinking brand, in an industry that I love. Having spent my career in retail and commercial roles, I have gained a good understanding of the challenges faced and what makes a great partnership.

“I look forward to working closely with my team to build on our relationships, and maximise sales for our trade partners.”

To find out more about Royal Caribbean, visit royalcaribbean.com.