Princess Cruises has bolstered its trade sales team with the appointment of a new senior sales manager and a new sales development and engagement manager following the official naming of Sun Princess.
TTG 30 Under 30 alumnus Yasmin McKechnie joins the line from P&O Cruises where she worked her way up to the role of strategic business manager.
She fills the senior sales manager role that has been vacant since Karen Farndell moved to Holland America Line in 2022.
Princess said McKechnie will support its strategic plans and ensure sales managers can focus on individual accounts and business development across the UK.
Speaking to TTG ahead of Sun Princess’s naming this week in Barcelona, Eithne Williamson, Princess’s UK and Europe vice-president, said: “Yasmin knows our travel agents, she’s already got those relationships, but she also knows how Carnival works and our systems.”
Josh Smith, meanwhile, becomes Princess’ third sales development and engagement manager. In his new role, Smith will share brand information with frontline agents, execute training plans and pursue business development opportunities, the line confirmed.
Smith has previously worked in retail for Tui and as a Virgin Atlantic sales specialist, and later took up a sales development manager role for Royal Caribbean International as maternity cover.
Princess said: “With all this experience to share, Josh will be an amazing addition to the successful business development team already in place.”
In March, Princess’s UK and Europe sales director Hayley Moore told TTG the line wanted to put more “boots on the ground” in the spring.
Williamson added: “We want Princess to be easy to do business with, and one of the things that’s great about our teams is we’re smaller – I have sales, marketing, commercial and guest services under me so we can make decisions quickly. We have really good relationships with our travel agents."
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