P&O Cruises appoints new director of sales

Nathaniel Sherborne will be leaving P&O Cruises in March, and Ruth Venn has been appointed as his replacement.

The senior business manager for strategic partnerships will be responsible for travel agent sales and trade engagement.

She will be in charge of agent training, trade events, communications and sales support, as well as growing existing agent partnerships and attracting new agents to sell P&O Cruises sailings.

P&O said that Venn has an infectious passion for cruises.

Robert Scott, the line's vice president, brand, marketing and sales, said there is never a better time to prove to the trade how important they are to us.

He said that he was delighted to promote Ruth to this position and that he had every confidence in her ability to take on this role with relish.

I would like to thank Nathaniel for his many years of service in this business and wish him the best.

Over the past two years, agents have had to communicate a lot of changes and new protocols to guests.

Our agents have continued to support us despite the disruptions and we are determined to show our appreciation by giving all agents the support, training tools and strength of team they need to succeed.

The business will be in a crucial year in the future. We can finally see some relief from Covid as our full fleet returns to service in the spring.

People who have sailed with us recently and seen strong interest in the Med, the fjords and the Caribbean, are showing such positive vibes.

Scott pointed to the line's Iona ship and Arvia ship, which are new contemporary ships to sell to customers.

He said that Ruth and her team would create opportunities for first-hand experiences on board the ships.