Hurtigruten has named Damian Perry managing director in the Asia-Pacific region. Perry takes over for William Harber, who is now leading the cruise company in North America.

“We believe Damian’s approach, transparency, values and expertise in partner relations combined with his strong Travel Industry knowledge make him the right person to lead our Hurtigruten APAC team transition. We will look at the long-term opportunities across the APAC region with Damian and build on the established strategic direction.” said Geir Kronbæck, VP Global Sales at Hurtigruten.

Perry was previously CEO of Cox and Kings.

“Damian is incredibly well respected across the industry, and he brings significant experience and knowledge in experiential travel in addition to his local market expertise. He played the pivotal role in driving Hurtigruten growth in Australia and New Zealand securing the Hurtigruten partnership and driving real growth for their business and region; and more broadly we feel he will be a great addition to our entire business,” said Kronbæck.

Kronbæck will work closely with the company’s management in Norway, and directly with Kronbæck.

The APAC team is based in Hong Kong, Tokyo and now Melbourne.

“I look forward to getting down to business with this exceptionally innovative and forward thinking company and build on the strong foundation they have established in recent years,” Perry said.