Celestyal has announced the appointment of John Diorio as vice president and managing director, North America, effective immediately.

The company said he will be responsible for developing and executing Celestyal’s strategic business plan for the North American market. His focus will be on positioning the cruise line as a leader in multi-destination, immersive cruise itineraries

This includes launching Celestyal’s advisor engagement strategy – working closely with the line’s trade partners to build a best in partnering approach and expanding travel partner channels across the region.

Diorio was most recently vice president, North American sales, at Virgin Voyages, spending seven years at the company.

Previous roles include Director of Sales at The Mark Travel Corporation and Vice President, Affiliate Marketing for Hotels.com (Expedia Group).

Based in Central Florida, Diorio will report directly to Lee Haslett, chief commercial officer at Celestyal.

Haslett said: “We are thrilled to welcome John to the Celestyal team. He brings a wealth of experience in the North American cruise market and a proven track record of working closely with the trade to drive growth. His appointment reflects our continued investment in key international markets and our commitment to strengthening relationships with travel advisor partners across the globe.”

Diorio said: “I’m incredibly excited to join Celestyal at this pivotal time of growth and partnership expansion. I look forward to collaborating with such a dynamic and talented team as we work together to achieve our shared goals and build on the company’s remarkable success with the travel advisor community in North America.”

Celestyal said it has experienced a 25 percent growth in guests from North America over the past year.