by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:35 AM ET, Thu October 5, 2023
Virgin Voyages announced that Michelle Bentubo has been
named the cruise line’s Chief Operating Officer.
Bentubo brings over 30 years of experience to the position
after serving the last seven at Virgin in senior-level, business-defining
roles. The cruise line said she is one of very few female cruise industry
leaders who directly oversee all operations, including marine and technical
functions.
Bentubo joined the Virgin Voyages team in 2016 as Vice
President of Technology and Operations before leading the company’s customer
service, terminal operations and people and culture organizations.
Most recently, as SVP of Service Excellence, Travel
Operations, Crew Training and Experience, Bentubo has led all activities, from
booking to boarding, for Virgin passengers.
“I’m thrilled to have Michelle take on this critical role
for us at this important time in our growth plans. Having her become our COO is
brilliant news for the entire team and our business given how she’s been such
an important part of building and creating our brand,” Virgin CEO Nirmal
Saverimuttu said.
“Not only am I excited to work with her as she takes our
smooth operations functions to the next level, but I couldn’t think of a better
leadership mentor for all our crew, especially our future women leaders,” Saverimuttu
continued.
Moving into her new role as Chief Operating Officer, Bentubo
will oversee every touchpoint of the brand’s end-to-end operations, a critical
position as the cruise line expands its offerings to more than 100 ports of
call across over 45 global itineraries.
Bentubo also leads Virgin’s Scarlet Squad, a program
dedicated to recruiting, supporting and mentoring female talent across
operations and preparing them for future leadership positions.
Having recently secured $550 million in fresh funding, Virgin
Voyages also announced
last month the addition of 27 new summer and winter itineraries and 19 new
ports debuting across its fleet for the 2024-2025 season, now open for
reservations.
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