Virgin Voyages Vice President of International Sales Shane Lewis-Riley has left the company.

The cruise line said Shane ‘will be moving on to pursue new opportunities and challenges beyond Virgin Voyages’. A spokesperson said his departure is ‘immediate upon the announcement’.

Virgin Voyages added: “During his time at Virgin Voyages, Lewis-Riley has made significant contributions to establishing Virgin Voyages in international markets, including building the International Sales team. 

“John Delaney will continue as a Senior Advisor for Virgin Voyages in the UK and international markets, alongside the team of world-class sales leaders including SJ Walker and Matt Lebbern that Shane has helped to establish.”

Shane said: “The time has come for me to hand over the baton and explore new opportunities.  I couldn’t be more grateful for my time at Virgin Voyages. As the first international employee, I can look back with immense pride at how far we’ve come over the last six years.

“I want to express my sincere and heartfelt gratitude to our First Mate partners who have rallied behind us and helped shape our strategy.

Virgin Voyages CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu said: “As a founding member of our International Sales team, Shane has been instrumental in establishing our roots in the UK market and beyond.

“During his time with us, he built an incredibly strong team who are committed to delivering for this brand and share in his dedication to our trade partners. As Shane embarks on this exciting new chapter, I’m thankful to him for his contributions and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”