Following the unveiling of a new brand identity at the TFWA Conference in October this year, Harding+ has now announced a raft of new senior hires and key internal promotions to drive new brand positioning, including the creation of a new Chief People Officer role.

 

Michelle Weeks joins as the company’s’ first Chief People Officer, reflecting the critical nature of people both shipboard and landside in the Cruise industry, and the significant Harding+ focus on reward and recognition and emerging talent, said the cruise retailer.

 

Weeks has previously held similar roles in Diageo, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Prezzo and The Economist, and also brings experience as an independent ‘change consultant’.

 

She will facilitate richer onboarding processes – to be more aligned land and sea training strategies – and will guide on team and individual career progression, reward and recognition, and recruitment.

 

Katie Floyd joins as Head of Marketing from Dufry where she spent the past five years in the role of Global Contentainment Manager. Prior to this she spent ten years at BAA, including a Head of Retail Marketing role at Terminal 5 where she created the business and communications strategy for the opening of the terminal’s retail operation.

 

Tom Fitzgerald joins from Dyson

Tom Fitzgerald has joined as Head of Insight from Dyson where he was Senior Insight Manager for seven years. Prior to this he worked for almost eleven years in senior roles at research agencies working on global projects, meaning he brings a collective brand and consultancy perspective on and understanding of customer behaviours, need, trends, frustrations and desires.

 

Daniel Greaves, formerly Head of Merchandising, has been promoted to Director of Merchandising overseeing a key part of the business. In his five years of experience at Harding+ Greaves has introduced and led best practice merchandising processes, procedures and reporting, and rebuilt a high performing Merchandising team post-Covid with many internal promotions.

 

He will oversee a team that includes six other promotions and five new joiners as a core hub of the business grows in line with business success.

 

Phil de Caux in newly created role

Phil de Caux joins in the newly created role of Senior Technology Business Partner, bringing experience of technology transformation and programme delivery roles in large and growing businesses that will be vital to the Harding+ growth strategy.

 

Most recently he worked with Kingfisher for four years as Business Partner & Portfolio Lead, working collaboratively with colleagues to translate business objectives into technology roadmaps and business cases.

 

Chief Executive Officer James Prescott commented: “We have a bold 5 year strategic plan in place to benefit our cruise partners, our brand partners and our employees, as well as the core Harding+ business. We are growing fast, and we need to make sure the right talent, and right leaders are in place to match the needs that come with that.

 

“This is about continuing to develop best in class teams through a mix of key internal promotions, and smart senior hires from the likes of Dyson, M&S, Morrisons and Diageo, as well as from our competitors.”

 

“Having a Chief People Officer in Michelle as part of our HR and wider business strategy absolutely lives our Harding+ commitment to the vital people pillar that champions values, career progression and the one team shipboard to landside mentality.

 

“Katie, Danny, Phil and Tom will add something extra from the high profile challenges they have managed, alongside exemplary delivery records, adding the best thinking from both inside and outside of cruise and travel retail worlds. We are fortunate to have a rich vein of talent running through teams in the business at all levels.

 

“We are not standing still as the market leader and the combination of new talent, newly focused executive roles, and new systems means the new Harding+ platform is already pushing boundaries to match our ambitions in all the right ways.”