Giles Hawke named new Celebrity Cruises EMEA chief

Giles Hawke is to join Celebrity Cruises as vice-president and managing director EMEA.

Hawke is set to leave his current role as chief executive of Cosmos, Globus and Avalon Waterways this summer and will join Celebrity in September, succeeding Jo Rzymowksa who is leaving after 18 years with parent company Royal Caribbean Group.

He will report to Celebrity’s new president Laura Hodges Bethge.

Hawke has been with Cosmos since April 2016, having previously been UK & Ireland managing director and then executive director of MSC Cruises.

Prior to joining Cosmos, he held a range of senior sales and director roles within Carnival UK for over a decade, including sales and customer service director.

Hodges Bethge said: “I am excited to welcome Giles into Celebrity.  His strong leadership, commercial expertise and experience in the sector is second-to-none and I look forward to having his insight on my leadership team to help shape and grow our market share in EMEA.”

Hawke added: “I’m thrilled to be joining Celebrity and to being part of this dynamic company.  I have watched from a distance as the company has grown its share with ground-breaking ships and strong brand identity. I look forward to being a part of Celebrity’s next exciting chapter under Laura Hodges Bethge’s leadership.”

In addition to serving on Clia’s executive committee, Hawke is founding chair of the Association of Touring & Adventure Suppliers (Atas) and also serves on Abta’s membership committee.