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After around 30 years with Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Isolde Susset is set to retire at the end of the year.
Her influence on the brand's expedition segment has been significant, playing a key role in the development of its three expedition ships: Hanseatic Nature, Hanseatic Inspiration and Hanseatic Spirit. Since 2024, as MD of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and a member of the executive board of TUI Cruises, she has been responsible for the entire Hapag-Lloyd Cruises fleet.
Salika Kebschull will take over her position on January 1, 2027.
Susset will remain in post until the end of the year. Kebschull will join Hapag-Lloyd Cruises on November 1 and, during a two-month transition period, will work alongside Susset to prepare for the handover. The start of 2027 will see Kebschull officially take up the position of MD.
"Isolde Susset has shaped Hapag-Lloyd Cruises over three decades with great expertise and passion, and has in particular played a decisive role in driving forward the development of our expedition segment. We are extremely grateful to her for this," said Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises.
Meier said of the incoming MD: "In Salika Kebschull, we are gaining an experienced leader who combines expertise in the international luxury hotel industry with sales expertise and cruise experience. The joint transition phase creates the ideal conditions for a seamless handover at the start of the year."
Kebschull's professional career has been characterised by leadership roles in the international luxury hotel industry and in tourism sales. She has held senior positions in the areas of sales, marketing, revenue management, distribution, e-commerce and business development.
Among other roles, she was GM of the Hotel München Palace, director of membership services at Relais & Châteaux and director of cruise consultancy at Sea Cloud Cruises.
Most recently, she has been advising international hotel projects on strategic positioning, sales, guest experience and process optimisation.
Kebschull said: "Hapag-Lloyd Cruises stands for extraordinary travel experiences, the highest quality and a clear positioning in the luxury and expedition segments. I am very much looking forward to getting to know the teams, the ships and crews, and our partners, and to shaping the brand's future development together."
Kebschull added: "The opportunity to work closely with Isolde Susset from November onwards and to benefit from her many years of experience is a particularly valuable start to my new role."
Reflecting on her time at Hapag-Lloyd, Susset said: "Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has been a constant presence and a defining influence throughout many years of my professional life. I am grateful for the many special developments I have been able to shape together with fantastic teams, particularly the establishment and further development of our expedition segment. I am therefore all the more delighted to now hand over responsibility to Salika Kebschull during a personal handover period, and I wish her every success and fulfilment in her new role."
