NCL Introduces Expanded Canadian Team
Building on its “Partners First” philosophy, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has unveiled an expanded sales team that will support travel partners in Canada.
“Part of our brand promise is ‘Partners First,’ which is simply our commitment to invest in our agency partners’ success, be easy to do business with, and listen to our partners and take action. Today, I’m happy to say that our ‘Partners First’ philosophy is also “Canada First,” said NCL president and chief operating officer Andy Stuart.
The newly revealed Canadian team will be led by industry veteran Dana Gain, who has been appointed the national director for sales, overseeing all aspects of Norwegian’s sales strategy in Canada. She will lead a seasoned team of six business development managers dedicated to aggressively growing the number of guests sourced from the Canadian market and expanding the agency base partnering with NCL. Gain has a proven track record in the cruise industry, most recently as director of international sales for Carnival Cruise Line.
“I am thrilled to be a part of the Norwegian family and immensely proud of the team we’ve assembled in Canada,” she said. “We are ready to build closer, more effective partnerships with our travel partners across Canada and share the exciting marketing tools and training available for agent’s to grow their business.”
The rest of the team includes:
- Mary-Jo Cutaia, who has been named business development manager for Western Ontario. She is a 20-plus year veteran of NCL with a wealth of knowledge that will continue to be a great asset to partners.
- Ian Smyth, who joins Norwegian as the business development manager for Eastern Ontario. He has spent the last eight years as the sales representative for WestJet and WestJet Vacations, where he cultivated deep relationships throughout the agency community in the region. Prior to his time at WestJet, he spent many years with a Canadian wholesaler with a focus on cruise.
- Ramon Jacinto continues his role as the business development manager for Western Canada. Ramon joined Norwegian in 2013, having previously held sales positions at WestJet and WestJet Vacations and the Richmond Tourism Association.
- Sabrina Greca, previously the business development manager for Quebec, has been appointed the business development manager for strategic accounts. In her new role, Greca will develop and grow Norwegian’s partnerships with Canadian tour operators and wholesalers.
- Alexandre Bergeron joins Norwegian as the business development manager for Quebec. He was most recently with Transat Holidays, where his enthusiasm quickly earned him a strong reputation amongst his agents, including a nomination for “BDM of the Year” in Quebec.
- Ilanit Zimmermann joins the Canadian team as the Miami-based business development manager covering parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Maritimes. She brings a wealth of product knowledge and sales experience to her new role as well as past experience in hotels, tours, and cruises for the past 12 years.
“Canada is a primary growth market for Norwegian and the significant expansion of our sales team shows that we are serious about investing in our Canadian partners,” said Nathan Hickman, Norwegian‘s vice-president of field sales.
