Laura Ryan, who was previously a branch manager for Thomas Cook, will take up the role with the line covering agent partnerships in southern England.

Regent said Ryan would use her seven years at Cook to work with a range of different agents including national firms, OTAs and homeworkers.

Ryan also has two years’ experience as a senior account manager in the business sector and recently completed a part-time degree in business management, sales and marketing.

Paul Beale, UK head of sales at Regent, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Laura to the team; her travel knowledge combined with account management experience means I have no doubt she will be a valuable asset to the Regent sales team.

“The travel trade is incredibly important to us and getting the right people onboard to nurture those relationships and increase business is of paramount importance to our mutual success.”

Ryan said: “I’m excited to be back in travel once again, especially for a market-leading company such as Regent.

“I look forward to developing luxury cruise opportunities for my accounts and contributing to achieving sales targets with my new team.”