Celestyal Cruises has announced the appointment of Brandon Townsley (pictured) as Vice President & Managing Director of North America.
He will lead and mentor Celestyal’s North American team and thus release the regional markets’ full potential.
Townsley said, “Celestyal has a clear path and genuine ambition, and I am thrilled to accept the opportunity to be part of their mission.”
He joins Celestyal from Crystal Cruises, based in Miami, Florida, where his job was to build and lead a commercial sales team and gain the support of the North American travel trade networks (or North American travel sellers) amidst the launch of a new start-up company and the refreshing of one of the most iconic luxury cruise brands.
Prior to that, he was a member of the executive team that launched Ocean Voyages, Florida, introducing a new luxe-adventure brand to the luxury cruise segment. He also spent several years as director of business development & strategy with Virgin Voyages and MSC Cruises.
Townsley’s primary focus will be to develop and execute Celestyal’s strategic business plan for North America, repositioning the business as a tour provider of multi-destination itineraries.
More specifically, he will focus on building tour packages, trade training and accelerating the distribution channels that support Celestyal’s strategic brand positioning.
He will report to Celestyal’s CCO, Lee Haslett who commented: “I am delighted to welcome Brandon to my leadership team and to the Celestyal family. I am confident that with his unique blend of cruise and customer experience along with his strong business and leadership acumen, he will prove to be an invaluable asset to the team and realise the full potential of the North American market.”
Townsley added: “Celestyal has a clear path and genuine ambition, and I am thrilled to accept the opportunity to be part of their mission. There is a clear mandate to grow and invest in the North American market, and I intend to leverage my experience and relationships to spearhead welcomed growth in North America.
“My intent is to position Celestyal as the leading provider of award-winning, multi-destination cruise and tour vacation experiences in Greece, Eastern Mediterranean and beyond,” he said.
