Powell, who was a member of TTG’s Tomorrow’s Travel Leaders in 2015-16, will join Saga from Carnival UK on January 15, 2018, when he will replace Deborah Aylward who decided to leave Saga last month to “pursue other opportunities”.

Powell was a business manager within Carnival UK’s national partnerships team, and previously worked for Tui and Virgin Holidays.

Maria Whiteman, managing director of Saga Holidays said: “Iain has a wealth of experience that will be a real asset to our business and complement the skills and experience we have in our successful trade sales team.

“We have ambitious plans for growth across our travel divisions and trade sales form an integral part of these future plans.”

Powell added: “Saga is a highly regarded and recognised brand known for quality and service and I’m delighted to be joining at such an exciting time in its trade sales journey.”