Thank you very much for having me.

I am originally from Málaga, Spain and nearly 30 years ago I moved to the UK to start a career in travel and tourism. Initially as a travel agent and then for a global travel guide publishing house… but of course, at the time I didn’t know that would be actually happened!

I joined the Cunard marketing team 22 years ago as their Direct Marketing Co-ordinator. As the team, and the fleet grew, so did my opportunities for development. I started working closely with the PR team, organising events and hosting press trips, whilst developing the relationship with Cunard’s new charity partner, The Prince’s Trust, (now The King’s Trust) and the first ever sponsorship with the RHS flower shows – which continues to go strong after all these years.

Since then, I’ve been curating partnerships with luxury lifestyle and culture centric brands to reach new audiences and share the Cunard Experience.

None of this would have happened without the support and believe from fantastic colleagues and excellent senior management, that encouraged me take those opportunities and let me run with them!

A passion for building relationships and connecting with people. Creativity, resilience, and the ability to turn opportunities into actions!

Building brand partnerships requires a good understanding of your product, clear objectives, and some patience!  In my opinion, brand partnerships need to feel authentic to each other’s audiences, be meaningful and offer reciprocal benefits. Consumers want to engage with their chosen brands, trust them and fell part of the narrative.

To build a long and successful partnership requires time to grow, review its successes and challenges to turn them into new opportunities.

You need to flexible, adaptable, and most importantly you need to love your brand!

I have the privilege to work with so many amazing brands, from a charity as worthy as the King’s Trust that helps young people realise their potential, to iconic lifestyle and cultural brands like the British Film Institute, the English National Ballet, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Olivier Awards to name a few.

Working with like-minded organisations help elevate each other’s brands, enhance one and other’s stories and work together towards a mutual goal.

Brand Partnerships mean that multiple teams must collaborate, focusing on their strengths and applying their expertise to the success of the partnership.

Over the years I have met many inspiring colleagues and managers from which I have learnt and grown a lot – and I still do! At Carnival UK we have access to great coaching and mentoring support as well as excellent training courses and coaching programmes. Taking time for your self-development is not only recommend but highly encouraged.

I first thought about getting a mentor from outside my workplace as we were coming out of the pandemic. I already knew that I have access to amazing talent from within the business, but I wanted to learn from someone outside the industry – get a different viewpoint.  I had known Lisa through our work as Champions of Business South and I’ve always respected her and admired her, so I was delighted when she accepted being my mentor. I value her opinion, experience, her compassion, and non-judgemental approach – and she tells it how it is!

I have learned a lot from our sessions, and I genuinely look forward to them.

I would recommend everyone to consider working with a mentor and take their self-development in their own hands. Find someone that you respect, admire and be prepared to be open, vulnerable, and challenged at times.

It’s a big responsibility to mentor someone and sure, if the opportunity arises to become one myself, I will of course consider it.

Just one?? No way!!

I love how a partnership can sometimes grow from the simplest connection into a truly authentic reciprocal and long-lasting relationship.  Collaborating with different areas of the business and with the partner to build the partnership makes the job super interesting. But what I absolutely love is how our partnerships make people feel.

Buckle up girl, you are in for the ride of your life! Embrace it, believe in yourself, and believe in the great people around you.

Again… too many!! I’ll never forget the first time I crossed the Atlantic and sailed into New York, under the Verrazano bridge, passed the Statue of Liberty and docked in Manhattan… a sight and experience that has meant so much to so many people over generations and we continue to offer to our guests…