Windstar names Jennifer West as VP of Sales, North America

Windstar Cruises has named Jennifer West as its new vice president of sales.

West joins Windstar at a pivotal moment of growth and brand momentum, following the launch of Star Seeker in December 2025 and ahead of the debut of Star Explorer in December 2026.

In her new role, West will lead Windstar’s sales strategy and trade engagement efforts for North America, helping drive the company’s continued expansion while strengthening relationships with the travel advisor community at the heart of the brand’s success.

With more than 15 years of cruise industry experience, West brings deep expertise in sales operations, trade partnerships, advisor engagement, and commercial strategy. Most recently, she spent more than a decade at Norwegian Cruise Line, where she built and scaled trade management and sales systems organizations supporting hundreds of thousands of travel advisors and agency partners across North America.

Janet Bava, chief commercial officer of Windstar Cruises, explained: “We took our time filling this role because we knew how important it was to find the right person. Jennifer brings the rare combination of strategic leadership, operational expertise, and genuine passion for the advisor community that we were looking for. Her background in sales operations and enablement is especially exciting as we continue to strengthen the tools, resources, and support available to our partners. As we grow across North America – especially in the Canadian market, where we’re seeing tremendous opportunity – Jennifer will play a key role in helping advisors grow alongside Windstar.”

West joins as Windstar continues to build on the experiences that set it apart, including year-round sailings in the Mediterranean and Tahiti. Her focus will be helping travel advisors grow alongside the brand, whether they’re selling longtime guest favourites or introducing clients to newer itineraries.”

West observed: “Trade partnerships are earned, not assumed. I’ve spent my career building the kind of advisor relationships that drive real commercial impact, and I’m excited to bring that focus to Windstar as the brand enters its next chapter of growth.”

West will officially join Windstar on June 15, 2026. Her first industry appearance in her new role will be later this month at the 15th Annual Business Travel Summit at Pebble Beach, where she will meet with Windstar’s top travel advisor partners, national accounts, and consortia leaders alongside Joe Jiffo, director of sales for Windstar.