or: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Cunard has appointed former Monarch sales chief Gary Anslow to head up its new commercial division.

Anslow will start in his new role as UK sales director in early January.

Cunard announced it was creating its own dedicated sales team in November after splitting from P&O.

Anslow is a former sales director for Cosmos where he oversaw Avro, Somewhere2stay and Avalon Waterways brands.

David Rousham, vice-president of UK sales, said: “Following a rigorous process, we are delighted to welcome Gary to the team.

“His wealth of travel experience and strong leadership qualities are going to be invaluable as we build our dedicated sales team.

“2018 is going to be an exciting year for Cunard as we focus on our ambitious plans for the future of Cunard globally.”

Cunard’s new sales team was set up to establish relationships “directly with the right agents”.<