Riviera Travel creates new chief customer officer role

Simon Michaelides will join cruise and escorted tour specialist Riviera Travel in the newly created role of chief customer officer in August.

His remit covers Riviera’s brand, marketing, customer service and communications, direct sales, insight and analytics.

The role aims to strengthen the business’s customer communications, marketing and sales performance and boost growth.

Michaelides is currently chief marketing and innovation officer at UKTV, a BBC Studios company, and has held senior marketing and commercial roles in organisations including Procter and Gamble, PepsiCo and Kantar Consulting.

In his new role with Riviera, he will report to Phil Hullah, chief executive.

Hullah said: “He brings with him a wealth of consumer and marketing knowledge, a real passion for customers as well as a great deal of commercial and operation experience in senior and board-level positions. I know he’ll fit in really well with the team.”

Michaelides added: “I’m very excited to be joining such a passionate, dedicated and customer-focused organisation.

“Riviera struck me as a great business with a true challenger-brand mentality and a huge amount of untapped potential, in an exciting industry.

“I’m very much looking forward to getting to grips with the travel business and helping to realise the company’s ambitions.”