Celestyal appoints Janet Parton as VP, marketing, PR & customer experience

Celestyal has made a strategic leadership change, appointing Janet Parton as vice president - marketing, PR and customer experience.

Parton moves into the role immediately from her previous position as VP, business development for Europe and the UK, and managing director of Celestyal Travel UK, and brings extensive experience from both her two years at Celestyal and earlier roles as sales and marketing director at Globus Family of Brands.

She will lead Celestyal’s newly formed marketing, PR and customer experience department, supporting the next phase of growth for the brand, as it accelerates plans ahead of 2026 and the launch of its new Wave campaign.

Parton, who is based in the UK, will continue to report into Lee Haslett, chief commercial officer.

As part of this transition, Dan Buckingham, director retail and UK partnerships, will assume leadership of the UK, Celestyal Travel and Europe teams for an interim period.  

John Diorio will remain as managing director and VP of business development North America at Celestyal and work closely with Parton to align on trade strategy for the line in North America.

“Janet is a respected and proven leader who has played a pivotal role in strengthening Celestyal’s trade partnerships and presence across core markets. As we double down on marketing, brand-building and demand generation ahead of our Wave campaign and 2026 strategy, Janet’s commercial expertise and understanding of the Celestyal brand make her ideally placed to lead this function. I’m delighted to see her step into this role and drive forward the next chapter of our growth,” Haslett said.

Parton added: “It’s been an honour to be part of Celestyal’s journey over the last two years, and I’m excited to step into this role at such a pivotal moment for the brand. We have an unprecedented opportunity to further build connections with both consumers and the travel trade through a stronger, unified approach to marketing, PR and customer experience.”

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.