Cheshire-based Young-Richards will take up his new post on 2 February, to which he will bring nearly 30 years of travel industry experience.

Young-Richards most recently worked for Celebrity Cruises, where he spent five years as a strategic account manager, as well as two years as a regional sales manager.

He has also previously held agent-facing positions with Do Something Different and Kuoni, and is also an ex-Kuoni and Tui store manager.

In his new role, Young-Richards will be responsible for driving trade sales performance and growing Crystal's market presence throughout the UK and Ireland.

He will also oversee strategic plans and performance of a broad portfolio of accounts of varying sizes based across the UK, while also identifying additional revenue opportunities.

“Having followed Crystal’s journey over the last few years, I am excited to be joining the team and contributing to the ongoing growth of the business,” said Young-Richards.

“I look forward to reconnecting with travel advisors across the UK and Ireland and working closely with them to unlock new opportunities and drive shared success.”

Luke Smith, Crystal's vice-president of trade sales for UK and EMEA, added: “Michael joins at an exciting time with Crystal Grace, our first ocean new build for the brand in 25 years going on sale soon, as well as several new agent-first initiatives on the horizon.

"I’m delighted to welcome him to the team and am confident that his knowledge, experience and impressive track record will prove invaluable as we continue to expand our sales presence within this important market.”