Havila Voyages promotes Matthew Valentine to new Global Head of Sales role

Havila Voyages has promoted Matthew Valentine to a new Global Head of Sales role, reporting to Johanna Hansli, Chief Sales Officer.

Valentine, who has been with the company for four years, was previously Head of Sales for UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Spain, The Netherlands and Belgium. Prior to that he was Head of Sales, Developing Markets EMEA at Hurtigruten.

As well as retaining day to day responsibility for his existing regions, Matthew will now lead the global sales team in forging new relationships and building sales. Irene Gundersen, Head of Sales for Scandinavia and France and Pia Kuusisto, Head of Sales for DACH, Finland and Italy will both report to Matthew.

Hansli commented “Having known Matthew for many years, I have no doubt that his commercial acumen and wealth of experience will prove invaluable in growing the Havila Voyages brand globally. We have ambitious plans for our business, and this new position will be key to making them happen.”

Valentine said “I’m very much looking forward to working with the team to explore new opportunities and build on their successes around the world. Havila Voyages are already sailing on battery power through the UNESCO Heritage fjords, but we are on target to operate our whole 11 day voyage emission free by 2030. I firmly believe our environmental credentials, combined with our fleet of modern, spacious ships, leave us well positioned for growth in the years ahead.”

Frode Hammerseth, Head of Customer Support and Relations continues to report into Johanna.