Viking River Cruises Elevates Marketing and Sales

[Jason]

Viking River Cruises Elevates Marketing and Sales Organization

LOS ANGELES /PRNewswire/ -- Viking River Cruises, the world leader in river cruising, today announced a major strengthening of its marketing and sales organization in North America, with the appointments of multiple senior executives: Eric Welter, senior vice president marketing and sales North America; Tom Russell, senior vice president sales North America and international; and Richard Marnell, vice president marketing planning.

"I am very pleased to make these announcements, which tremendously strengthen the Viking management team," said Torstein Hagen, chairman, Viking River Cruises. "The fact that we have been able to attract such outstanding executive talents to the Viking team further solidifies Viking's position as the industry leader. With Viking River Cruises bookings already up 25 percent compared to this time last year, we know these new talents will expand our core strengths to ensure further growth and development."

Eric Welter has been appointed senior vice president, marketing and sales, North America. Prior to joining Viking River Cruises, Eric was senior vice president of marketing services at J.Jill, a multi-channel retailer of women's apparel. He also served as vice president of marketing at Geerlings & Wade, a multi-channel marketer of wine, and director of marketing at Grand Circle Corporation. Eric has a strong background in multi-channel and direct marketing, and understands the travel industry well. He has a degree in Statistics and Mathematics from St. Cloud State University in Minn.

Tom Russell has been appointed senior vice president sales North America and international, and will work closely alongside Eric, who is responsible for overall marketing and sales. He will also work hand-in-hand with Mike Wiersema, who remains responsible for North American retail sales. Tom comes from Uniworld, where he was senior vice president of marketing and sales. Prior to that, he held senior marketing and sales positions with Holland America Line, Windstar Cruises and Princess Cruises. Tom was also one of the founding managers of Silversea Cruises, and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from .

Richard Marnell has been appointed vice president market planning, where he will coordinate the overall marketing planning for Viking River Cruises. Richard comes to Viking from J. Jill as well, where he served as operating vice president of direct marketing. Additionally, he has more than 12 years experience in the travel industry, having worked at Grand Circle Corporation and Oversees Adventure Travel. Richard has a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Fordham University, N.Y., and an M.B.A. from Babson University, Wellesley, Mass.