Windstar Cruises has appointed Helen Beck to the newly created role of Managing Director, Global Commercial.She brings many years of experience in the travel industry with 26 years spent in the cruise industry. Most recently, Beck was head of Global Salese Excellence for Explora Journeys. Previous to that role, she was VP of International Sales and Marketing at Crystal Cruises.Other roles Beck has held include regional director for Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara; and international sales leisure manager at Millenium and Copthorne Hotels.
In her new role with Windstar, Beck will lead efforts to build commercial operations in the UK and expand the line’s presence in key markets in Europe, Australia and Latin America. She will define the global sales and distribution strategy and identify new partners to grow the base of sellers around the world looking to expand their small ship cruising sales.Beck will work to set up Windstar’s global entities, hire new team members, work with IT and marketing to launch new global websites and booking engines, and be responsible for the company’s growth outside of North America.“Windstar is undergoing an exciting time of change with new technology, a rebrand and two new ships joining our fleet soon,” said Janet Bava, Windstar’s Chief Commercial Officer. “Helen is coming on board to help leverage this growth further into International markets, and we are very happy to have someone with her skill set join us at this key point in time for the brand.”
The global commercial role is a new one for Windstar with more hires expected as Helen builds her team in the coming months. Augustus Lonsdale, Windstar’s current Head of Sales in the UK, will work with Helen and continue to oversee Windstar’s GSA relationships. Dianna Rom, Windstar’s VP of Sales in North America, will work alongside Beck on key relationships with consortia and national account partners as the company expands internationally.“I am truly excited by the opportunity that this new role presents to build on the already solid foundations that Windstar Cruises has across the globe,” Beck said.Beck will be based in London.Windstar is expanding from a six ship fleet to eight soon. New developments for 2025 include the debut of Star Seeker, a 224-guest all-suite yacht, joining the fleet in December 2025. Star Seeker joins the line’s Star Class line of upscale yachts bringing the fleet to five Star Class plus three Wind Class sailing yachts, all carrying between 148 and 342 guests. In 2026, Star Seeker’s sister ship Star Explorer joins the fleet.
