Cosmos, Globus and Avalon Waterways have appointed Lesley Taylor as the new UK managing director, marking a significant shift in leadership.
- Lesley Taylor’s appointment follows the departure of Giles Hawke, who is moving to Celebrity Cruises for a senior position in the EMEA region.
- Taylor, a company veteran since 1994, brings extensive experience from various roles including customer experience director.
- She is set to assume her new role starting 1 July, reporting directly to Scott Nisbet, CEO of Globus Family of Brands.
- Taylor expresses her commitment to enhancing customer experiences and fostering strong relationships with travel partners.
In a strategic leadership move, Cosmos, Globus, and Avalon Waterways have appointed Lesley Taylor as their new UK managing director. This change follows the departure of former UK chief executive Giles Hawke, who is set to join Celebrity Cruises as vice-president and managing director for the EMEA region, underscoring a significant shift in the UK cruise industry.
Lesley Taylor, who joined the company in June 1994, has been a pivotal figure in various capacities, focusing on commercial, product, and customer experience roles. Her most recent position was as customer experience director, where she was instrumental in developing customer care strategies and people management frameworks, indicating her capability to lead from the front.
Assuming her role on 1 July, Taylor will report to Scott Nisbet, the chief executive of the Globus Family of Brands. Nisbet has expressed his full confidence in Taylor’s leadership, highlighting her potential to maintain continuity, stability, and inspire the team. He remarked, ‘This appointment ensures continuity, stability and inspiring leadership for the team and Lesley will work across all departments to ensure that we continue to focus fully on our customers, our valuable travel agency partners and our other business partners.’
Taylor herself is enthusiastic about her new role, seeing it as a continuation of the progress made in recent years. She stated her excitement, ‘I am absolutely delighted to be taking on this exciting and important role and carrying on the good work that we have been doing over recent years.’ Her plans involve enhancing the UK market presence and providing improved support for agent partners, emphasizing a collaborative approach across global colleagues to optimise holiday experiences for customers.
Lesley Taylor’s appointment as UK MD heralds a promising era focused on customer-centric strategies and strengthened partnerships.
