Holland America Line and Seabourn are once again merging their sales teams. Rob Coleman, previously VP Sales for HAL, has been promoted to senior vice president of Sales for North America and Australia overseeing both brands.
Coleman continues to report to Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer for HAL.
Tara Schreiner was promoted to vice president of national and strategic partnerships for Holland America and Seabourn. Steve Smotrys, Seabourn’s vice president of sales and trade relations, will leave the company in September.
Canada’s Seabourn team is undergoing a change with Shane Buksh, N.A. director of National Accounts, leaving the company. Maxine Gundermann, senior manager of National and Strategic Accounts, remains in her role
The Canadian Team will include:
Aaron Crawford - BDM Eastern Canada - HAL & Seabourn
Fiona Schonewille - BDM Western Canada - HAL & Seabourn
Tom Steer - Senior Manager National Accounts Canada - Holland America
Stephanie Tate Croning - Business Dev. Representative Canada - HAL & Seabourn
The move “to strengthen and unify sales efforts" within the two divisions of Carnival Corporation into “a singular force with aligned leadership" for North America and Australia trade regions was announced on 29JUL.
“Over the past 25 years, Rob has been an invaluable asset to Holland America Line’s sales team,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. “With his expertise he is poised to lead Holland America Line and Seabourn in an exciting opportunity to further build and expand trade alliances.”
“Combining the two sales teams enables us to leverage and integrate industry-leading reporting, analytics and commercial trade programs for both brands,” added Natalya Leahy, president of Seabourn.
Coleman joined HAL in 1999 as an Inside Sales rep. Most recently, he served as vice president of North American sales for Holland America Line. Before this, he was vice president of Charter, Incentive, and Series Partnerships.
“Our field sales team already is experienced in representing both Holland America Line and Seabourn, and combining forces makes us a powerhouse,” said Coleman.
“This will be highly beneficial for travel advisors who already work with both brands, providing consistency, focus and enhanced support for their businesses.”
Some observers have commented that with the end of revenge travel, the industry pendulum will swing back to see more consolidation of sister brand sales teams.
Travel advisors can connect with their BDM and the sales team through OneSourceCruises.com or by emailing sales@hollandamerica.com.
