The Role
The Director of Sales UK & Ireland is the senior trade sales leader and primary market representative for Silversea fully accountable for delivering profitable growth through the travel trade channel
The role leads a high-performing team of six and serves as the key commercial voice in the market combining deep trade expertise with a strategic forward-looking view of the UK & Ireland landscape
As a highly recognised and well-connected industry figure the Director represents Silversea at the highest level acts as senior in-market leadership and steps in for the Managing Director when required
Key Responsibilities
Trade Sales Leadership
- Define and execute a best-in-class trade sales strategy delivering sustainable profitable growth
- Lead motivate and inspire a team of six establishing a strong performance culture and clear accountability
- Drive consistent delivery of revenue guests and value through trade partnerships
Strategic Market Leadership
- Maintain a clear strategic view of the UK & Ireland market identifying trends risks and growth opportunities
- Translate market intelligence into actionable commercial strategies and priorities
- Position Silversea strongly within the ultra-luxury competitive landscape
Market Presence & Representation
- Act as the face of Silversea within the UK & Ireland trade community
- Leverage an extensive network and strong personal reputation to drive influence and competitive advantage
- Maintain a visible and active presence with key partners consortia and industry bodies
- Serve as the senior escalation point in-market including covering Managing Director responsibilities where required
Strategic Trade Partnerships
- Build and develop senior-level relationships with key trade partners and accounts
- Lead and oversee commercial negotiations and long-term partnership frameworks
- Ensure clarity discipline and consistency across agreement structures and execution
- Prioritise and grow high-value strategically aligned partnerships
Distribution & Growth Development
- Drive a focused and disciplined trade distribution strategy aligned with brand positioning
- Identify and develop additive distribution opportunities expanding reach while maintaining brand integrity
- Explore new commercial channels and innovative models to unlock incremental growth
- Ensure all new initiatives are profitable scalable and strategically aligned
Cross-Channel Alignment (Greater Good)
- Work in close partnership with the Director of Consumer Sales ensuring full alignment between trade and direct channels
- Balance channel priorities and opportunities to optimise overall business performance (“for the greater good”)
- Contribute to a unified market approach avoiding channel conflict and ensuring cohesive execution
Enterprise & Tri-Brand Leadership
- Act as the key trade touchpoint for tri-branded initiatives with Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises
- Represent Silversea within the broader enterprise ecosystem ensuring strong collaboration and alignment
- Leverage cross-brand opportunities to maximise market impact and commercial return
- Support and deliver strategic enterprise initiatives within the UK & Ireland market
Trade Engagement & Enablement
- Ensure partners are equipped with the right tools insights and support to succeed
- Lead trade communication engagement and training strategies
- Build strong brand advocacy within the trade positioning Silversea as the ultra-luxury partner of choice
Commercial Discipline & Execution
- Ensure robust forecasting pipeline management and performance tracking
- Drive commercial discipline and clear focus on profitable growth
- Work cross-functionally to ensure alignment across pricing marketing and revenue strategy
Leadership Profile
- Highly recognised and respected within the UK & Ireland travel trade market
- Strong established industry network and reputation
- Proven track record of leading trade sales teams and delivering growth through partnerships
- Strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen
- Exceptional influencing and stakeholder management skills
- Entrepreneurial mindset with ability to unlock new distribution opportunities
Leadership Style
- Commercially sharp decisive and accountable
- Highly visible and engaged market leader with strong external presence
- Highly engaged inspirational team player fostering collaboration and shared success across teams and functions
- Collaborative mindset working across channels and brands for the greater business outcome
- Demanding but supportive leader inspiring high performance and accountability
- Operates with credibility confidence and industry authority
Why This Role
- Lead Silversea’s trade business in one of the most important global markets
- Act as a recognised industry leader representing a top ultra-luxury brand
- Shape both distribution strategy and enterprise-level collaboration
- High degree of autonomy influence and market ownership
