Thornhill has been appointed the UK-based operator’s new head of partnerships and business development, and also joins the firm’s senior management team.

In her new role, Thornhill will be responsible for establishing and nurturing new business partnerships, with a specific focus on supporting agents and the company’s tour operator partners.

Le Boat said Thornhill would bring a wealth of domestic and international sales and partnership experience to the role; besides Fred Olsen, she has previously worked with Tui and Crystal Ski, as well as Irish Ferries, Cresta Holidays, Jetsave, Brinc and Setnet.

The firm said Thornhill’s appointment "demonstrated Le Boat’s commitment to its trade partners", and stressed its belief agents "will be of crucial importance as the recovery in the global travel industry continues into 2022".

"I am thrilled to be joining Le Boat at this exciting time for the organisation," said Thornhill. "My entire career has been in travel and trade relations, I look forward to utilising my skills and experience to help our business grow and prosper”.

Le Boat managing director Cheryl Brown added: “[Julia] brings a broad wealth of knowledge from the tourism sector. She comes as a great asset to our company at this time and is exactly the person we need to help us execute our ambitious vision for 2022 and beyond."

Le Boat is part of Travelopia and operates a fleet of more than 900 self-drive boats on Europe and Canada’s inland waterways with 40 departure bases across nine destinations.