Celestyal Cruises has announced the appointment of Leslie Peden as President, Celestyal Cruises, North America. Peden will be responsible for promoting Celestyal Cruises in North America to drive business growth and market share, the cruise line said.
Peden will build on the foundations laid by Nicholas Filippidis, who has led the business development efforts on behalf of Celestyal Cruises throughout North America, Celestyal Cruises said. Filippidis will continue to be a resource for the company as he takes on a consultancy role, which the cruise line said will help to ensure a smooth transition for its travel partners.
Peden has over 30 years of experience in cruising, tour operations, air and rail travel, including a proven track record serving in senior management and executive roles for such cruise related companies as Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Virgin Holidays Cruises, and Island Cruises (now TUI).
A British national, Peden held full P&L responsibility for Virgin Holidays Cruises and the integration of this business unit into the wider Virgin Travel Group. Among his many accomplishments while at Virgin, he developed and executed Virgin Holidays Cruises’ first fully-integrated marketing ‘peaks’ campaign with the launch of a new dedicated cruise brochure, new classified press creative and the business entity’s first-ever national TV, digital and social media campaign.
Prior to Virgin Holidays Cruises Peden was with Island Cruises (Joint Venture between Royal Caribbean International and First Choice), where he defined and executed a five-year strategic plan for trade and consumer sales, multi-channel distribution, trade and direct marketing, customer services, call center operations and a winter air-sea program for all international markets, including the UK.
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