Riviera Travel Names New President of North America
by Dori Saltzman
(l-r) Stuart Milan, Marilyn Conroy, and Francis Riley. Photo: Dori Saltzman
As part of its continuing push to expand its presence in the U.S. and Canada, Riviera Travel has named Stuart Milan as its new president of North America. Simultaneously, Marilyn Conroy has been promoted to executive vice president of business development and Francis Riley will move to the role of senior vice president of trade sales and partner relations.
Just last week, Riviera announced the appointment of Dana Horton as the new sales and operations director. The company also recently opened a new flagship office in Fort Lauderdale.
The strategic reorganization of Riviera’s North American senior leadership team is designed to bolster the company’s U.S. footprint, drive its brand presence in the market, and ultimately accelerate its growth here.
“North America represents a significant opportunity for expansion and with this team at the helm, I am confident Riviera Travel will be able to continue delivering extraordinary travel experiences while growing our market share,” said Phil Hullah, CEO of Riviera Travel. “Stuart has been instrumental in driving our growth in the U.K. Moving forward in his expanded role, he will be able to leverage his deep understanding of the Riviera brand and translate the outstanding work he is doing in the U.K. into success in the U.S. market, as we collectively push to strengthen Riviera’s presence in this key region.”
With nearly 20 years of travel industry experience, Milan has been instrumental in Riviera’s growth over the last five years. In his newly expanded role, he will divide his time equally between the U.K. and the U.S., with a focus on operational growth in the U.S. market, building customer-centric strategies, and ensuring that Riviera’s brand messaging resonate with North American audiences.
He will work closely with the U.K. and U.S.-based teams to execute plans for market expansion and to strengthen partnerships.
Conroy, who has served as Riviera’s executive vice president of sales and marketing North America for the last seven years, is transitioning to executive vice president of business development. Moving forward, she will focus on leveraging her extensive connections to further expand the company’s trade presence, build brand awareness, and foster new partnerships. Conroy will work closely with senior U.S. travel executives, represent Riviera Travel at key industry events, and collaborate with the company’s marketing, PR, and sales teams to develop initiatives that resonate with North American audiences.
An industry veteran with 25 years of experience in cruise sales and industry partner relations, Riley will now oversee Riviera’s North American trade sales efforts as senior vice president of trade sales and relations. He will work with Riviera’s team of regional sales directors to drive passenger growth, increase revenue, and expand the brand’s market share.
In particular, he will focus on building and strengthening Riviera’s relationships with key travel advisors, trade partners, and consortiums.
“It is an honor to work alongside such a terrific team, particularly as Riviera focuses on expanding our brand footprint across the U.S., which presents an exciting opportunity for us all,” said Milan. “I look forward to deepening my knowledge of the U.S. market even further and learning from our valued partners here…”
TMR is onboard MS William Wordsworth for the next two nights with all three executives.

