Organizational changes at Havila Voyages

Havila Voyages is making changes to its organization, appointing new leaders for each respective business area.

Havila Voyages, a Norwegian family-owned company headquartered in Fosnavåg, operates the classic coastal route Bergen – Kirkenes – Bergen with the most environmentally friendly ships ever to sail this route. The company currently has two ships in operation, with the remaining two soon to be delivered. Organizational changes are now being implemented within the company.

Johanna Hansli, formerly the Head of Global Sales, will now assume the role of Chief Sales Officer, taking responsibility for sales and the customer centre. Lasse A. Vangstein who previously served as the company's Head of Communications, will now take on the role of Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, responsible for communications, marketing, and sustainability.

"We are a relatively small organization and the team work closely with each other on a daily basis, and we believe it is sensible to make these changes now to better equip ourselves for what lies ahead," says CEO Bent Martini.

"I am very pleased that Johanna and Lasse have accepted the challenge of leading these business areas. Both of them have a deep understanding of the company and possess the capacity and expertise we need to succeed in building our brand and increasing sales in our target markets where we find our customers," Martini added.

Johanna Hansli brings extensive experience from the travel and cruise industry, having previously worked in sales roles at Hurtigruten, WonderCruises, and Royal Caribbean International.

"I am excited to continue my journey with Havila Voyages in this new role. In the sales department, we have a small but motivated team that works tirelessly every day to achieve our goals, with great support from the customer centre, which is also a crucial sales channel for us," says Hansli.

Simultaneously with the changes in the sales organisation, the company is recruiting a new Key Account Manager responsible for the Scandinavian market.

"We have initiated the recruitment process and have advertised a highly exciting position that I hope skilled sales professionals will find interesting," she added.

Lasse A. Vangstein brings experience in communications and marketing from both the private and public sectors, having worked at companies such as Avinor, BoligPartner, and Vålerenga Fotball. Over the past year, he has been responsible for Havila Voyages' communication work.

"For me, it is natural that communication, marketing, and sustainability work even closer together, and I’m very excited about what the future holds. We have a fantastic product, and I am really looking forward to contributing to raising Havila Voyages' global brand," says Vangstein.

"Our marketing department consists of three talented professionals with extensive expertise in marketing, who will be given the opportunity to further develop and work on our campaigns, brand, and profile. We aim to create a desire to travel with Havila Voyages when people encounter our presence across various channels. Climate, environment, and sustainability are also of great importance to Havila Voyages, and I am pleased that we will continue to focus on these areas and further integrate them into our communication and marketing efforts," he concluded.

Hansli and Vangstein will officially assume their new roles on June 1st.