Uniworld Appoints New President, CEO
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection has announced the appointment of Ellen Bettridge as president and chief executive officer, succeeding Guy Young who has been promoted and will take on two new roles at The Travel Corporation, Uniworld’s parent company.
Bettridge will begin her new position on Aug. 6. Young will work with her to ensure a smooth transition prior to joining TTC.
The announcement was made by Brett Tollman, chief executive of The Travel Corporation.
“It is my great privilege and pleasure to welcome Ellen to our team at Uniworld. I have known and admired Ellen for many years. She is a superbly capable and talented travel industry professional, with an exceptional reputation and a winning track-record,” he said. “I am confident that Ellen will make a consequential and instrumental contribution to Uniworld’s performance and success, and the team and I very much look forward to working closely with her.”
Bettridge will be responsible for managing and overseeing Uniworld’s global business, including operations and financial performance, product development, the industry’s foremost guest experience, service enrichment and onboard/onshore programming. She will also specifically focus on growing and expanding Uniworld’s business, as well as furthering its leadership and innovation in the river cruise industry.
Bettridge joins Uniworld from Azamara Club Cruises, where she has served as vice-president, sales and marketing, responsible for growing Azamara’s markets in the Americas, as well as for developing strategic relationships with trade and marketing partners. Previously, she held the position of president, Americas at Silversea Cruise Ltd. Bettridge has also held various positions at American Express over more than 20 years, initially as a travel counselor and most recently as vice-president, Retail Travel Business.
Young, who will continue to be based in the company’s Encino office, will take on two newly created roles – Global Brand Engagement Officer at TTC, reporting to Brett Tollman, and president of Costsaver, Trafalgar’s fast-growing value brand, reporting to Gavin Tollman, CEO of Trafalgar.
