Virgin Voyages is expanding its North American sales footprint, welcoming Sean Russo to the growing team. As the first sales manager for Canada, based in the Toronto area, Russo will oversee the entire Canadian sales territory and work closely with John Diorio, Virgin Voyages’ vice president of North American sales. The duo will introduce travel advisors to the line’s adults-only cruise experiences, incredible destinations and differentiated fleet.
“Virgin Voyages is a bold, inspiring brand that’s challenged the status quo and created an incredible experience that Canadian travel advisors and their clients should be eager to learn more about,” said Russo. “I’m excited to grow my current network and showcase that cruising with Virgin Voyages is uniquely different and needs to be explored by cruisers and non-cruisers alike.”
A world traveler with a penchant for adventure, Russo studied hospitality, recreation and tourism at Humber College in Toronto. He joins the Virgin Voyages team from Jobber, where he held the position of sales development manager. In this role, he managed a team to optimize sales results, collaborated with the marketing and product departments, organized sales training sessions, analyzed sales metrics and oversaw team forecasting.
Prior to that Russo spent 10 years with G Adventures, a sustainable travel company known for taking travelers off the beaten track. Initially joining its team as a business development manager, Russo managed and expanded multiple territories across Ontario, participated in various panels and global conferences, and developed a brand ambassador training program. Having grown the region to unprecedented levels, he was promoted to national sales manager of Canada. During this time, he increased brand revenue, helped launch the global “ChangeMakers” conference and became a regular contributor to several Canadian-based travel trade publications.
“Sean is an epic addition to our North American sales team and will help shape our sales strategy in one of our key feeder markets,” said Diorio. “His passion for travel, compelling sales experience and personal relationships within the region are unparalleled. We have an exciting year ahead, launching both Resilient and Brilliant Lady, and Sean is the perfect representative in a new region for the brand.”
For more information, visit www.virginvoyages.com.
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