Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1532915
P H OTO BY I VA N S A R FAT T I ; © M I C H A E L W O L F/A N B O R D . D E ( N A S H ) FROM LEFT New President of Explora Journeys, Anna Nash; the Med Yacht Club restaurant and lounge, one of nine dining experiences available aboard Explora Journeys' ships Explora Journeys' new president Anna Nash is poised to grow the luxury cruise liner's fleet, while also setting a new bar for C-suite style. BY MARK ELLWOOD suite executive t was a lesson Anna Nash learned in her first job, working for legendary hotelier James Sherwood during his era at what's now known as Belmond [formerly Orient-Express Hotels]. "First impressions are really important—how you dress, for me, has always been very considered," she recalls. "As the saying goes, Dress for the job you want, not the job you have." Given her resumé, she's likely to have a top-tier closet: her most recent role was as right hand woman to Aman hotels owner Vladislav Doronin, before she was poached by luxury cruise line Explora Journeys to become its newest president. And though more than half of the travel industry workforce is female, just a smattering of its C-suite superstars are women; 45-year-old Nash has just joined them. There are two staples of that executive closet, both ever-present in her suitcase: Ferragamo Vara pumps, which she wears from day to night, I and suiting from British brand The Fold. "They're feminine, and often quite colorful, but make you feel like you're in control and making a bit of a statement," she says, noting that she always has a suitcase at the ready, whether primed to travel from her new home base in Geneva for a work trip or a vacation. Her most recent jaunts were to Japan and, closer to home—to the charming village of Leysin. "It was the first time in five months since getting here I could do a weekend hike with my mother. The minute you want to banish the winter blues in Switzerland? Escape to the mountains." Nash is an old hand in Japan, and always explores beyond Tokyo's bounds; this recent trip included three days of hiking in the snowy hills of the hot spring hub of Kusatsu, which she unreservedly recommends. "It's not just the healing waters of an onsen," she says, "but the whole ritual that comes with it, girls chatting to each other, drying each other's hair. It's an authentic culture of self-care." Nash's work travel centers on relaunching Explora's line as it prepares to expand from its first two ships to a full complement of six vessels in the fleet by 2028. Cruising, she says, is the new hot topic for hospitality, noting that Four Seasons, The Ritz-Carlton, and her old employer Aman are all entering the sector. Some of the Amanjunkies, though, are following Nash's defection—one regular reached out on Instagram to ask her advice about a suite they had already booked with Explora Journeys. She's ready for the challenge of persuading luxury travelers that a cruise will meet their standards; indeed, 25 percent of Explora's customers are new-to-cruise entirely. "I've only ever worked with brands I felt proud of being associated with," reflects Nash. "This is a chance to build one of those." BALHAR B O U RSH O P S .CO M