Windstar Cruises has appointed travel industry stalwart Helen Beck to the new role of Managing Director, Global Commercial.
Helen, who has 26 years experience working with cruise lines, will be based at Windstar’s London office.
She was most recently Head of Global Sales Excellence for Explora Journeys and prior to that VP of International Sales and Marketing at Crystal Cruises. Other roles include Regional Director for Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity and Azamara, and International Sales Leisure Manager at Millenium and Copthorne Hotels.
In her new role, which was flagged to Travel Gossip earlier this year, Helen will lead efforts to build commercial operations in the UK and expand the line’s presence in key markets in Europe, Australia and Latin America, said Windstar.
She will also expand the team and launch new global websites and booking engines to grow Windstar in markets outside North America.
“Windstar is undergoing an exciting time of change with new technology, a rebrand and two new ships joining our fleet soon,” said Chief Commercial Officer Janet Bava. “Helen is coming on board to help leverage this growth further into International markets, and we are very happy to have someone with her skill set join us at this key point in time for the brand.”
Windstar’s current Head of Sales in the UK Augustus Lonsdale will work with Helen and continue to oversee Windstar’s GSA relationships.
Dianna Rom, Windstar’s VP of sales in North America, will work alongside Helen on key relationships with consortia and national account partners as the company expands internationally.
Windstar will debut its new 224-guest all-suite Star Seeker yacht in December, while in 2026, Star Seeker’s sister ship Star Explorer will join the fleet.
