Phil Hullah will succeed David Clemson on 2 March.
Hullah joined Riviera in October last year as chief operating officer as part of the board’s succession plan.
He was most recently chair of digital education specialist Avado. He previously headed up Laithwaite’s Wine, and was commercial director of John Lewis.
Clemson joined Riviera in 2008 and will remain with the business as a shareholder and non-executive director.
Successful trade launch
Riviera hailed Clemson for the “instrumental” role he played driving the company forward to become one of the country’s foremost escorted touring and river cruise operators.
During Clemson’s spell in charge, Riviera increased revenue sevenfold and maintained the company’s track record of now 35 consecutive years’ revenue growth; launched the firm to the trade and built a comprehensive agency sales structure; and introduced new holiday types include river cruising, solo touring and walking holidays.
Andrew Strong, Riviera chairman, said: “On behalf of the board of directors, I want to thank David for his outstanding leadership as chief executive. During his tenure, the business has grown into the market leader it is today while maintaining Riviera’s culture of dedication to delivering an outstanding customer experience.”
Clemson said: “It’s been a huge privilege to lead Riviera. I am deeply grateful to Riviera’s fantastic team, its founder Michael Wright and the board for their tireless commitment to the business.
“I would like to thank our loyal customers and channel partners for continuing to put their trust in us year after year. Having worked with Phil over the past few months, I am confident the business will thrive under his leadership.”
Hullah added: “I am honoured and delighted to be taking over as chief executive. It’s a pleasure to be working with Riviera’s fantastic team of passionate staff.
“It’s a very exciting time for the business as we expand across all our product lines and continue to improve the customer experience. I look forward to working with the team to build on everything that has been achieved in recent years.”
