irector Katherine Gershon has been appointed group sales and marketing director of the Abercrombie & Kent Group.

The luxury travel group said it had made an extensive search before before appointing Gershon?to the role.

Gershon will be responsible for sales activities across the group's destination management companies worldwide and overseeing sales for its Sanctuary lodges, camps and ships.? Based at the company's London headquarters, she will also be involved in leading the group's e-commerce strategy, managing its core marketing activities and co-ordinating cross-group marketing initiatives.

Gershon joins from Circle, the employee co-owned private and NHS hospital operator, but has?extensive experience in the travel industry. Most recently, she was sales and marketing director for British Midland International. Prior to that she was director of multimedia sales at Thomas Cook and a founding member of the former all-business class airline Silverjet.

Abecrombie & Kent chief executive Ian Coghlan said: "Katherine's sales and marketing experience will be invaluable as we open up new markets and distribution channels, as well as expand the Sanctuary b