Palethorpe will join the Southampton-based cruise line on April 11, following senior roles with PepsiCo, Levis and buy.com

When the retail website was acquired by John Lewis in 2001, Palethorpe served as managing director for the department store’s online business. Upon leaving John Lewis, he moved into the travel sector as group commercial director for car-rental firm Avis Europe.

He has spent the past four years managing a portfolio of online businesses in the food, cosmetics and ticketing industries.

After accepting the position Palethorpe said: "I am delighted to be joining the team at Cunard and look forward to helping build on its exceptional work.

“The Cunard brand has been synonymous with the height of cruise luxury for nearly two centuries and is still as relevant for customers today as it always has been."

Carnival UK chief executive David Noyes said: "This is a key year for Cunard with the remastering of the company’s flagship, Queen Mary 2. Simon’s appointment will reinforce our efforts to take the Cunard brand to new audiences around the world."