Ambassador Cruise Line expands its management team with three new executives: Phil Gardner, Nick Hughes and Matthias Seeger; current commercial director Chris Coates will move into a part-time consulting role.
Chris Coates, Ambassador's first CCO, will assume a consultant role from June, advising on market and ship deployment and scheduling, route planning management, cruise industry relations, and acting as an advisor to the rest of the executive team on other strategic matters.
Phil Gardner, a cruise industry veteran, assumes the role of CCO at Coates, overseeing sales, marketing, and business planning. Nick Hughes is appointed Chief Operating Officer, and experienced business and finance professional Matthias Seeger joins as Chief Financial Officer.
“Chris’s contribution to the commercial launch of the new British cruise line has been exceptional,” said Christian Verhounig, Managing Director of Ambassador Cruise Line. “He is a real asset to the business, and we have brought on a new team to have them both continue their involvement in the business in their newly defined roles…”
He added: “I’m very excited to formally welcome Matthias, Phil, and Nick to the Ambassador family. Their experience will bring invaluable and diverse insights to the business, further accelerating Ambassador’s growth plans…”
Gardner and Seeger took office on February 1, while Hughes will begin his role in March.
