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Quark appoints product VP ahead of new expedition ship

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Ed Bonner initially will focus on the launch of the luxury expedition vessel World Explorer for the 2018/19 Antarctica season
Quark Expeditions appointed seasoned travel professional Ed Bonner as VP of product, a newly created position.

Bonner will oversee Quark's aggressive growth plans, leading all product, brand strategy and customer experience activities. A key initial focus will be the launch of the luxury expedition vessel World Explorer for the 2018/19 Antarctica season.

Quark has chartered the newbuild, under construction in Portugal by Mystic Cruises, for the 2018/19 and 2019/20 Antarctica seasons. (The rest of the year the ship will sail for Germany's Nicko Cruises, a company owned by Mystic Invest.)

Bonner joins Quark with a long history of strategy, product and marketing leadership in consumer packaged goods, entertainment and, most recently, travel. He held the role of EVP, leisure at Worldview Travel, the world’s second largest Virtuoso travel agency, with offices in Canada, the US and Bermuda.

'Ed is an outstanding business leader with extensive experience driving growth through innovative product development and the creation of exceptional customer experiences. His wealth of knowledge and entrepreneurial experience will be invaluable as we enter our next phase of growth,' Quark president Andrew White said.

Recently returning from his first trip to Antarctica, Bonner was inspired by what he saw: 'I have experienced first-hand the Quark Expeditions difference and was immensely impressed—not just by the majesty of Antarctica, but by Quark’s outstanding field staff and unrivaled expedition experience.

'I’m looking forward to the challenge of building on Quark’s heritage of polar firsts and delivering exciting, new polar adventures,' he said.