Cruise industry veteran, Nicole Costantin, has been appointed as Head of Sales for MSC Cruises in Australia and New Zealand, expanding her existing portfolio.
Nicole remains the Head of Sales, APAC at Explora Journeys and is now responsible for sales of both the luxury and contemporary brands.
In the newly created role, Nicole will report into Antonio Paradiso, Vice President of International Sales, MSC Group. Antonio also holds all Managing Director responsibilities for MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys in Australia and New Zealand, in addition to his role as Managing Director of UK and Ireland for both brands.
In her tenure to date, Nicole has spearheaded the APAC launch of the first two ships in the Explora Journeys fleet, Explora I and Explora II, and has played a pivotal role in supporting the trade in the immersion in the launch of the luxury cruise operator in market.
“I am extremely passionate about the cruise industry, and the Australian and New Zealand market offer immense potential for growth for MSC Group. I am excited and energised to take on this expanded portfolio of both MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys and I look forward to working on a deeper level with our valued trade partners as we continue to leverage the market potential in our region,” said Nicole Costantin.
“Nicole has been instrumental in successfully launching the Explora Journeys brand to the Australasian market and I am incredibly excited by the depth of experience she brings to MSC Cruises with her contemporary cruise background,” said Antonio Paradiso.
“Australia and New Zealand hold immense growth potential for MSC Cruises and together with the support of my team in the UK I am looking forward to working with Nicole and her team to apply locally the learnings that have driven our success in the UK.
“I have every confidence in Nicole and her team’s ability to continue to support the trade and the MSC Group’s growth in this region,” he said.
The MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys sales teams will continue to operate as separate functions with no changes to the current MSC Cruises sales team operating under direction from Senior Sales Manager, Brigita Devries.
“Brigita and her dedicated team have done a wonderful job working closely with our trade partners in market and I have every confidence we will continue to deliver on supporting our partners to grow the opportunity in Australia and New Zealand,” said Nicole.
MSC Cruises team is comprised of:
- Brigita Devries – Senior Sales Manager
- Bronwyn Knight – BDM NSW, ACT & WA
- Aaron Eilers – BDM QLD
- Brenton Riedy – BDM VIC, SA & TAS
- Alka Thapar – BDM NZ
