Eurostar recruits chief
Eurostar has appointed former Body Shop executive Josh Herlihy to be executive commercial director – a pivotal role in shaping the company’s marketing strategy.
Herlihy will report directly to managing director Hamish Taylor and will work alongside Adrian Watts, UK sales director on the marketing of Eurostar, following a company restructure.
The company is losing about 180m a year and falling short of its original passenger number targets by 40 per cent – 3.5 million people.
Herlihy’s remit includes the brand development of Eurostar as well the expansion of new strategic partnerships. These include a third-party deal with British Midland, which gives Eurostar passengers the chance to fly back to the UK from Paris.
Taylor says: “Herlihy has been brought in to build the Eurostar brand and to drive the business forward in terms of improving the quality of the product for customers and to boost other revenue opportunities.”
Herlihy was previously general manager of global sales for the Body Shop International and has also worked for Unilever.
Eurostar faces uncertainty over the future of its ownership. Its parent London & Continental Railways is likely to strike a deal by the end of March with Railtrack to save the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project, which collapsed in January.
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