Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has confirmed the appointment of Geoff Ridgeon as its new head of sales. He will take up the role on May 7 and report to Justin Stanton, sales and marketing director.

He will be following in the footsteps of Fred stalwart Mike Evans, who is retiring at the end of this month. Geoff has been at Fred for 22 years in a number of roles including, most recently, head of cruise. He will now manage Fred Olsen’s UK sales teams, as well as further develop relations with the travel trade.

Speaking of his new appointment, Geoff said: “I am thrilled to be joining another thriving part of the business. I know that I have a big role to fulfill with Mike Evans retiring, but I look forward to working with the trade to further develop the understanding of Fred Olsen’s ‘closer’ strategy.”