Crystal Cruises executive Helen Panagos has died after a
long illness.
Panagos, 55, died last Thursday at home surrounded by her
family, a Crystal statement said. Most recently she had been vice president, destination
experiences for Crystal River Cruises and Crystal Air Cruises, a role she had
held since 2015.
Heken Panagos
Panagos joined Crystal after a 30-year career in the
industry that began at Celebrity Cruises, where her uncle, Vasilios
Kapetanakos, was one of the founders.
For a long stretch, Panagos worked at Seabourn/Cunard, where
she was part of the launch team for the Queen Mary 2 in 2004.
"Helen was a shining star in the travel industry and in
the lives of those who knew her. I was privileged to work alongside her for
many years, but she was more than a colleague, she was a dear friend and member
of the Crystal family," said Carmen Roig, senior vice president of
marketing and sales at Crystal.
Immediately before working at Crystal, Panagos was director
of global product development at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., where she worked
on destination development for all three of RCCL's brands.
"We lost a wonderful colleague and a treasured friend,"
said Crystal president Tom Wolber, who mentioned her smile, her energy and her
optimism as qualities he will remember. "Helen made an impact on all of us,
and we were blessed to have had her in our lives. She will be truly missed."