Holland America Line has appointed Denella Ri’chard to the position of director, trade communication and engagement. In this newly created role she is responsible for supporting travel agent partners worldwide, with particular focus on the United States and Canada. She oversees trade communications, the PartnerShips website, HAL Academy and all other internal and external training programs.
Ri’chard, who is based in Seattle, Washington, at the Holland America Line headquarters, will report to Joe Slattery, senior vice president, global marketing and sales.
“Denella’s impressive sales and marketing credentials, combined with her outstanding presentation skills, will be a tremendous asset to the Holland America Line organization,” said Slattery. “We’re delighted to welcome her to our team where we can utilize her knowledge and expertise to effectively communicate with our travel professional partners.”
Most recently Ri’chard was with Norwegian Cruise Line in Miami, Florida, where she was director, global product management and director, business development.
Prior to joining Norwegian, she was at Hilton Worldwide, where she was responsible for global and partnership marketing to launch the Hampton by Hilton brand internationally. In 1999 she moved to Brussels, Belgium, to launch one of Europe’s first online travel start-up companies, Leisureplanet.
Ri’chard has a specialized Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in global enterprise management from Jones International University. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism from Southern University. She also studied abroad at Syracuse University in Harare, Zimbabwe.