Chris Hackney has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Marella Cruises, formerly Thomson) and will take up his position from 1st December, 2017.
Hackney will report to Cruise and Distribution Director, Helen Caron.
Hackney joined TUI UK & I on a graduate scheme in 2001 and spent 14 years within the commercial division, holding several product, trading and cruise positions. He has also worked on the French and Russian TUI businesses, where he devised and implemented new product strategies for both companies.
He joined the cruise division in September, 2015 as commercial director where he successfully managed the commercial aspects of launching ‘Marella Discovery’ and ‘Marella Discovery 2’, as well as delivering two years of record trading results for the cruise business.
Caron, head of Cruise and Distribution for TUI UK and Ireland, said: “I am delighted that Chris Hackney is to become the new Managing Director for Marella Cruises at such an exciting time for our businessm as we establish the Marella brand in the UK& I Cruise market, and launch of our newest ship ‘Marella Explorer’ in the spring of 2018.
“Our Cruise business is core to the overall growth strategy for the UK&I business and I am confident that under his leadership Marella Cruises will go from strength to strength.”
