The newly-created role will "bring together all aspects of the Riviera brand," including marketing, customer service and communications, direct sales, insight and analytics.
 
Michaelides, who will report to Phil Hullah, Riviera Travel chief executive, is currently chief marketing and innovation officer at UKTV. He has held a range of senior marketing and commercial roles in organisations including Procter and Gamble, PepsiCo and Kantar Consulting. He is expected to join the company in August.
 
Hullah said: "I am delighted that Simon is joining our team. He brings with him a wealth of consumer and marketing knowledge, a real passion for customers as well as a great deal of commercial and operation experience in senior and board-level positions. I know he’ll fit in really well with the team."

Meanwhile, Michaelides said Riviera "struck me as a great business with a true challenger-brand mentality and a huge amount of untapped potential", in an "exciting" industry.

"I’m very much looking forward to getting to grips with the travel business and helping to realise the company’s ambitions," he added.