Two days after announcing a pair of top-level management appointments to lead its growth efforts in North America, MSC Cruises has announced the opening of a brand office in Shanghai to focus on the China market.

Friday's announcement was accompanied by news that industry veteran Helen Huang has been chosen to lead expansion efforts in the market, with MSC Cruises naming her president of MSC Greater China.

Huang's appointment is effective immediately, the cruise line said.

In her new role, Huang will be "tasked with leading our ability to best serve our trade, institutional and other partners across Greater China as well as the operational and port relations support needs of MSC Lirica and her guests," according to MSC Cruises CEO Gianni Onorato.

"In addition, she will lead out of Greater China our ambitious growth plan for this highly promising market," added Onorato in a statement. 

"I look forward to a new journey to contribute to making MSC Cruises — in the footsteps of what the company has already accomplished in China — the most attractive brand to Chinese vacationers," Huang said in her own statement.

READ MORE: MSC Cruises Appoints President, Chairman to Lead North American Growth

Prior to joining Geneva, Switzerland-based MSC Cruises, Huang served as vice president corporate communications, Costa Asia and general manager, Costa China. 

The new office and leadership appointment come on the heels of MSC Lirica's deployment to its homeport in China.

"Following the deployment of MSC Lirica to the shores of China in May of this year, the establishment of a direct operations, commercial as well as representative institutional presence and a management team to lead our effort on the ground was the next natural step in the further development of our business across Greater China," added Onorato. 

Moving forward the cruise line will look to bring its "very best ships" to China as it becomes a key region for growth.

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