Silversea Cruises named a new senior vice president of sales.
Athanasiou stepped down as Norwegian Cruise Line's chief sales officer in June due to her decision to delay getting a Covid-19 vaccine, which was a condition of her employment at NCL.
Athanasiou says she is a perfect fit for the role of sales strategy in the Americas.
She said that she was thrilled to be back to doing what she loves for a brand and experience.
Barbara Muckermann said Athanasiou's proven record of developing strong partnerships to deliver successful sales strategies will be valuable as Silversea continues on an ambitious growth trajectory.
The line has taken delivery of three ships since summer 2020 and has ordered two hybrid ships.
For the second time in her career, Athanasiou will report to Mark Conroy, Silversea's managing director of the Americas. They worked together at Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, which is now Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
She said it's come full circle. I started my cruise career with Mark. I'm so thankful that it has come full circle to allow me to get back into the luxury space.
After the acquisition of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Athanasiou joined NCL. She didn't know if she would return to the cruise industry until the opportunity presented itself. Athanasiou was recently shot.
She said that she took a step back and focused on herself and her family. "I said to myself that people and culture are going to be what drives my next decision." I feel like I hit the trifecta with this.
She said that Silversea is right for a luxury traveler today.
She said that Silversea has moved to focus on deeper experiences in luxury travel. The travel advisor and I become the experience architects to help the traveler get into meaningful experiences with the people that are most important to them.
According to what she hears from travel advisors, there is strong demand for luxury.
She said that they say that the luxury traveler is traveling more and that their business is up. People are ready to experience again, and they're ready to learn from different cultures, experience different cultures and bring back their memories. They're doing it today.
