Virgin Voyages has announced a revamped sales structure and new leadership appointments aimed at further empowering travel advisors, known within the brand as ‘First Mates.’

The cruise line, which recently celebrated a sold-out ‘Ultimate First Mate Voyage,’ is strengthening its commercial strategy by aligning key sales and marketing functions and investing in advisor-focused leadership. The enhancements reflect Virgin Voyages’ continued growth and the central role advisors play in its success.

Among the changes, Koreen McNutt has joined as Vice President of Agency & Business Development, bringing over three decades of cruise industry experience. Most recently, McNutt served as Senior Vice President and Commercial Officer at MSC Cruises, where she led the brand’s advisor strategy and trade sales performance. Prior to that, she spent 16 years at Expedia Group, rising to Senior Director of Global Cruise Supply, and held positions at Holland America Line and Windstar Cruises.

Kristy Woolums has been elevated to Senior Director of National Strategic Accounts, North America, a new role focused on nurturing key partnerships with national accounts. She will focus exclusively on high-value partnerships and will also serve as the cruise line’s key representative at major industry events.

Lastly, Stephen Hopkins is expanding his role as Vice President of Growth and International Sales & Marketing under Chief Marketing Officer Nathan Rosenberg’s leadership to include Sales Acceleration. In this expanded role, he will oversee the integration of sales enablement, trade marketing and partner engagement initiatives, all designed to deliver stronger tools for travel advisors.

These updates come alongside continued investments in advisor-centric tools and technology. Virgin Voyages plans to introduce AI-powered booking features, enhanced training resources and more streamlined support to reduce administrative tasks and improve client-facing time for advisors.

Source: Travelweek