Havila Voyages has appointed its first ever Strategic Account Manager to support the UK travel trade. 

Robin Griffiths joins the cruise line from APT where he was National Partnerships Manager. Previous roles in the travel industry include positions at Kuoni, Emirates and Gold Medal Travel Group.

He will report into Matthew Valentine, Global Head of Sales who is currently Havila’s only other UK based employee.

“It’s an exciting time for Havila and I’m delighted to have Robin help us on the next step of our journey,” says Matthew. “His appointment demonstrates our commitment to working with the UK trade and supporting them as we continue to grow our business. He brings a wealth of experience gained over more than 20 years in the industry and I have no doubt he will prove a valuable asset in the coming months.”

Robin said “I’m very much looking forward to working with Matthew and the rest of the Havila team. Not only do they offer unforgettable voyages along the Norwegian coast, but their environmental credentials are extremely impressive. It’s a winning combination and I’m really looking forward to working with agents to drive sales for the Norwegian coastal cruise product.”

In November 2025, Havila Voyages became the first cruise line to operate an emission-free passenger voyage using only Biogas and battery power. The line has outlined plans to operate all of its voyages using Biogas (instead of LNG) by the end of 2028.