A&K Travel Group (AKTG), the parent company of luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent and cruise line Crystal, has announced several new hires and promotions within its trade sales teams. In line with A&K Travel Group's One A&K strategy to foster collaboration and synergy across its travel brands, A&K and Crystal are engaging and recruiting industry experts with the aim of providing enhanced support for travel partners.
In A&K’s London office, Jennifer Charlton joins as SVP, trade sales and business development, U.K. and EMEA for Abercrombie & Kent. She brings extensive industry experience, joining from Amex GBT where she led the supplier partnership teams in EMEA and APAC, the global digital media team, M&E global supplier strategy and worked with the M&A team on acquisition and integration projects.
In Crystal’s Aventura, FL, office, Glen Rothe joins as, VP, trade sales, Crystal. He will be responsible for managing trade relationships and sales for Crystal. He brings 30 years of experience in the travel industry and extensive cruise industry experience from Norwegian Cruise Line where he was responsible for $1 billion in revenue and led successful sales teams for more than a decade. Rothe will be recruiting four new sales directors for North America and multiple inside account executive roles to enhance Crystal’s support for the U.S. and Canada trade partners.
Jacqueline Leyva has also joined Crystal as VP, trade reservations, air, and turnaround operations in the Aventura office, providing reservations leadership support for both North America and LATAM trade partners. She also brings 30 years of industry experience, having worked for companies such as SeaDream Yacht Club, Cunard, and Atlas Ocean Voyages.
Lastly, Sharla Smith has joined as Crystal's regional sales director, Central U.S.A. bringing more than 20 years of experience and strong performance in the cruise industry from past sales roles at Scenic, Paul Gauguin and Royal Caribbean. In Latin America, the team that previously represented A&K DMCs and properties have been promoted to expanded roles, adding Crystal to their sales portfolio to support growth with the trade for A&K and Crystal.
Internal Promotions
Several team members have also earned promotions, including:
- Shawn Johnson, SVP sales, North America, A&K
- Jay Warren, VP sales, North America, A&K, A&K DMCs and Sanctuary Retreats
- Oscar Dunn, VP cruise sales, A&K and Crystal
- Kim Guimaraes, VP, national accounts, A&K and Crystal
- Stephen Loughlin, national accounts business specialist, A&K and Crystal
- Rob Cifuentes, director of sales, LATAM, A&K and Crystal
- Natalia Pessoa, director of sales, Brazil & Argentina, A&K and Crystal
- Greice Penteado, GP marketing, general sales & marketing agent, Brazil, A&K and Crystal
In APAC, the team will continue to be led by Debra Fox, EVP of trade sales, Asia Pacific, supported by Tony Archbold as VP of sales. A new director of sales – Asia Pacific is being recruited and will be announced in due course, with additional trade support positions added already.
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