PONANT has announced the appointment of Ellen McIIvaine as the new Vice President of Sales for North America.
McIIvaine assumes this position after six years with the company, where she most recently served as the Director of Business Development in the Northwest region.
In her new role, McIIvaine will be responsible for overseeing trade business activities and partnerships, as well as managing the field sales team in both Canada and the United States. A key focus of her responsibilities will be to foster deeper engagement with PONANT's travel agency partners, the company said in a release.
Before joining PONANT, McIlvaine worked for adventure and expedition-focused tour operators, including Zegrahm Expeditions. Her experience spanned multiple areas, including managing guest and field services. She worked onboard as part of expedition teams in over 60 countries across all seven continents.
McIlvaine succeeds Theresa Gatta, who will retire after 40 years in the industry, including six years of leading the sales division of PONANT in North America.
“We look forward to Ellen taking on an expanded role with PONANT. She will continue to bring her extensive brand knowledge and experience in nurturing sales to the travel advisor community,” said Navin Sawhney, CEO of Americas, PONANT. “While we are sad to say goodbye to Theresa, we thank her for years of leadership and devotion to the company’s mission.”
More information about PONANT can be found on the company's website.
