Nick Hughes to join Princess as UK and Europe sales chief

He will begin his new role on October 17, and replaces Rachel Poultney, who announced last month she was leaving the line to enter the world of PR.

Hughes joins Princess from Gold Medal where he is currently sales director, tour operations for dnata B2B, across the Gold Medal (and previously) Travel 2 brands. 

Hughes sits on Abta’s membership committee and was appointed chairman of Tipto in 2019. He is also an active member of dnata’s Diversity and Inclusion programme and sits on dnata’s UK charity board. 

Commenting on his appointment, Hughes said: “I’m really happy to be joining the Princess Cruises team, especially at such an exciting time in the cruise sector. I hope to support, continue and build on the great work Eithne and the Princess Cruises team have delivered to date.”

Simon Applebaum, Gold Medal managing director, said: "Nick’s been a valued member of the Gold Medal and dnata Travel Group UK leadership team during his time with us, and we all wish him well with his future endeavours. Thanks to his expertise and professionalism, our relationships with travel agency partners across the UK have never been stronger and have ensured we remain the trade’s favourite long-haul tour operator. As a result of his stewardship of our sales function over the last five years, we can look to the future with optimism.

"Princess Cruises in an important partner for us, and we’re excited by the prospect of continuing to work with Nick in his new role to maximise opportunities for both brands. We look forward to continuing our close partnership with Princess, fulfilling our shared commitment to agents, and converting the impressive demand for cruising that we’re seeing."

Hughes will report into Eithne Williamson, vice-president, Princess Cruises UK and Europe. Williamson said: “We are delighted to announce Nick as our new sales director and we look forward to him bringing his wealth of travel knowledge and experience to our sales team. Nick’s relationships within the trade allow him to build upon the strong rapport our team already has with travel agents, taking Princess from strength to strength.

"We’d also like to thank Rachel Poultney for her hard work and dedication to Princess. Rachel has been a valued asset to the team, having held the position of sales director for more than six years, and her commitment has helped us achieve significant milestones throughout the years, such as our biggest-ever booking day back in June. She will be missed, and we wish her well in her new ventures."