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Scenic Group has appointed Ana Sofia Ayala as managing director, Asia Pacific, bringing more than 20 years of international travel industry experience to lead the region through its next phase of growth.
The appointment comes as Scenic Group celebrates 40 Years of Innovation and continues to expand its worldwide luxury river cruising, yacht cruising and escorted touring portfolio. Alongside an experienced APAC leadership team, Ana Sofia will focus on supporting travel partners, delivering seamless experience for guests and strengthening commercial performance across the region.
She joins Scenic Group following seven years as chief revenue and marketing officer at Voyages Tourism Australia, where she brought sales, trade, marketing, brand, revenue, distribution and customer service together under one commercial strategy.
During her tenure, she led a significant transformation of the business, strengthening distribution, introducing new booking technology and developing the Just WOW brand platform. Previously, as global director of eCommerce at Royal Caribbean’s Miami headquarters, Ana led digital initiatives that grew pre-cruise revenue and connected marketing, social media and customer service across the guest journey.
Adam Amstrong, Scenic Group chief commercial officer says, “Ana brings a powerful combination of international cruise experience, commercial leadership and a clear understanding of what matters to guests and travel partners. As we enter our next phase of growth, her ability to connect brand, distribution, digital and customer experience will be invaluable.”
Ana says “Scenic Group is an Australian success story, with extraordinary ships, journeys and people, and I’m thrilled to be joining in its 40th year. With new ships and destinations on the way, this is a pivotal moment for Scenic in Asia Pacific. I’m looking forward to working with a talented team, and with the travel partners who have been central to Scenic and Emerald Cruises’ success, to continue to grow across Australia, New Zealand and Asia.”
Ana will commence January 18, 2027, and will be based in the Scenic Group Sydney office.
Experienced leadership across APAC
She will lead an established regional team, reinforcing alignment across marketing, trade sales, customer service and operations:
- Jarrod Pask, General Manager, Customer, Operations & Administration
- Katherine O’Neill, Executive Marketing Director
- Emma Davie, Director, Trade & Commercial Sales ANZ
- Robert Kalemba, Director, Sales & Agent Programs, AU
- Dominic Tan, Regional Sales & Marketing Manager APAC
Angus Crichton takes on global product leadership
Scenic Group has also promoted Angus Crichton to global head of Product. Now based at the Group’s office in Zug, Switzerland, Angus will lead its product teams globally, strengthening the connection between product development, guest experience and commercial performance.
With experience in Scenic Group across senior sales, marketing and product roles he has been part of its evolution from escorted touring into river cruising and luxury yacht cruising. Angus brings deep knowledge of its products, guests and trade partnerships to support its next phase of growth.
Angus says, “Having been part of Scenic Group’s evolution over more than 26 years, I’m excited to help drive its next chapter. Bringing product development and our commercial teams closer together will help us deliver exceptional journeys for our guests and give our travel partners compelling experiences to sell.”
The announcements follow the recent appointment of Adam Armstrong as chief commercial officer, further strengthening Scenic Group’s global leadership team as it prepares for the most significant growth phase in its history.
