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Cunard Line has appointed senior officers who will be onboard the Queen Elizabeth when it enters service in October. Following the appointment of Capt. Christopher Wells as master, Robert Howie was named hotel manager.

Scottish-born Howie brings almost 25 years of experience to his new post. He held the position of food and beverage manager aboard Queen Mary 2 in the ocean liner’s inaugural year and was later promoted to hotel manager on the flagship in 2005. Howie was the first hotel manager onboard Queen Victoria when it entered service in December 2007.

As hotel manager, Howie is in charge of all onboard operations, including housekeeping, food and beverage, entertainment and human resources. Prior to joining Cunard, he served in senior managerial food and beverage positions for Princess Cruises since 1990.

Alastair Greener was named entertainment director. Greener has also served as entertainment director on both Queen Mary 2 and QE2 and was the first entertainment director onboard Queen Victoria. Currently, Greener is the face of the company’s blog, http://www.wearecunard.com/, which he frequently updates with news about the fleet.

He is a member of the British Actors’ Union and has appeared in film, theater and television productions, including the BBC’s “House of Cards” and Warner Brothers’ “Black Beauty.” He was also asked to represent the Cruise Lines International Association as a media tour spokesperson. Prior to Cunard, Greener joined Princess Cruises in 1997 and served on eight ships within the fleet.

Halifax-born Hamish Sunter will serve as staff captain. He joined Cunard in 1990 as an officer on Cunard Princess, where he remained for three years. He also obtained his master’s certificate at that time. In 1993, he was transferred to QE2 as junior first officer and left that ship as chief officer in 1998.

After two years, Sunter went back to sea with P&O Cruises, sailing as first officer on several ships. He returned to Cunard as chief officer on Queen Mary 2 in October 2005. He rejoined QE2 as staff captain in December 2006 and has also served in that capacity onboard Queen Victoria.

Colin Black, who was named chief engineer, is from East Lothian near Edinburgh, Scotland, and joined P&O/Princess Cruises in 1990 as a mechanic onboard Royal Princess. He subsequently moved up the ranks to first engineer prior to being given the responsibility for the newbuild of Princess Cruises’ Dawn Princess and Ocean Princess.

In 2001, he was based in the Southampton Office working within the newbuild department. In 2002, he moved to P&O Cruises serving onboard Oriana, Aurora and the then-new Arcadia. Black’s first appointment as chief engineer was onboard Tahitian Princess in 2006 and her sister ship Pacific Princess. In 2007 he was assigned as technical fleet services project manager for Queen Victoria, thereafter taking over as chief engineer.

Source: News on the Caribbean and the Americas