MSC Cruises USA, the North American arm of MSC Cruises, has named Lori Sheller senior vice president of strategic sales and groups. It is a new position for the company, with Sheller commencing as of June 4.
Sheller comes to MSC Cruises with 18 years of cruise and travel industry experience. She most recently served as vice president of cruise development for Tourico Holidays. Prior to that, she spent 15 years with Online Vacation Center, where she held leadership roles in marketing, sales, group and product development.
At MSC Cruises, Sheller will be responsible for enhancing relationships with consortia and key strategic accounts.
The new position comes at a time when the line is poised for strategic growth in North America. By the end of 2018, MSC Seaside, MSC Divina and MSC Armonia will be serving the market. MSC Meraviglia will arrive in the fall of 2019.
Sheller will report directly to Roberto Fusaro, president of MSC Cruises USA. She will work alongside Joe Jiffo, senior vice president of field sales. Jiffo will continue to set the strategy for field sales initiatives.
"In less than 18 months, MSC Cruises will have four ships serving the North American region," said Fusaro. "With our anticipated increased capacity, we've also taken a new look at our sales structure to see how we can best meet the needs of our existing valued travel agent partners as well as develop relationships with new travel agents. With extensive experience working with large consortia and proven success at identifying growth opportunities and initiating strong business alliances, we are thrilled to have Lori join our team for this newly designed role."
Sheller noted that the cruise industry is experiencing exciting growth at the moment.
"As an integral part of that upward growth pattern, MSC Cruises has made phenomenal commitments in hardware and onboard offerings in order to bring a unique experience to each and every guest. I truly look forward to joining the MSC Cruises team and putting forth my experience to help to bring the company to the height of its potential…as well working alongside some of the most innovative and passionate individuals in the industry."
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