About Cruise Norway

A recent U.S. citizen, born and educated in the Netherlands, Gordon Dirker is a seasoned industry veteran. He has enjoyed a 30-year career in the cruise and travel industry, spanning an extensive period. Gordon was appointed to the role of Senior Vice President and General Manager for Cruise Norway in January 2025. Before he joined Cruise Norway, Gordon spent just under two years as COO and CEO of FRS Clipper, a small Pacific Northwest-based Ferry and Tour Operator. Before this, he served as the Vice President of Sales for Swan Hellenic Expedition Cruises in North America. Before his role with Swan Hellenic, he spent four years as the Vice President of Business Development for Celestyal Cruises and another four years as the Regional Vice President for the USA and Canada for Hurtigruten. He began his career in the United States working for the Travel Corporation. Initially as a Business Development Manager for the Contiki Holidays brand, though after just 1 year, Gordon was promoted and moved to London to lead the sales and marketing efforts for Contiki Holidays in the UK and Europe for 10 years. This was followed by a transfer back to the USA to work for Brendan Vacations in a similar senior sales and marketing role for 6 years. Gordon is married and a grandfather of 4. He is fluent in four languages and has traveled to all seven continents. In his free time, Gordon enjoys cooking, skiing, hiking, and exploring the world with his family.

Ann is from Sydney, Australia, and has traveled extensively throughout Australia, the South Pacific, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North and South America. She has cruised Antarctica, the Galapagos, the Trans-Atlantic, Iceland, Norway, and the South Pacific. She is a seasoned veteran of the cruise industry, with nearly 20 years of experience. In Australia, Ann worked with the Carnival Corporation's brands, including Princess, P&O Australia and the UK, as well as Cunard, along with the luxury brands Oceania and Regent Seven Seas. Since moving to the U.S. seven years ago, she has worked with Hurtigruten Expedition and Norway Coastal cruises, assisting both travel professionals and customers with bookings and customer service. When Ann is not working, she is either traveling or visiting family in Canada.

Diana lives in Edmonds, Washington, and brings over 20 years of experience in the travel and cruise industry. She has curated private jet itineraries, organized European group travel, and served as a Product Manager for Hurtigruten Expeditions and Norway Coastal voyages.

Originally from Armenia, Diana has traveled extensively throughout Australia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and both North and South America. Her cruising experience includes expeditions to Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Alaska, and the Mediterranean.

Diana’s deep knowledge of expedition cruising and global travel reflects a lifelong passion for exploration and cultural connection. When not working, she volunteers in her local community and is always planning her next travel adventure.

Matthew was born in California but grew up in the wilds of Montana, in a place where there were more cows than people and winter meant building igloos, not snowmen. He spent his childhood snowboarding, backpacking, rafting rivers, and chasing whatever adventure he could find. His dad was a Harley-riding explorer, and his stories from the open road sparked something in Matthew, early on—a need to get out and see the world for himself.

Since then, he has guided rafts in the Rockies, sailed the coastlines of Norway, Svalbard, and North Africa, and ridden motorcycles through mountain passes just for the thrill of it. Travel isn’t just what he does—it’s how Matthew connects with people, nature, and the wild places in between.

Matthew now lives in Estonia with his wife and two children. He splits his time between Tallinn and their countryside cabin, where they hike in the woods, explore bogs, teach the kids about nature, and wrap up the day with a sauna and a swim in the sea.

From his first summer job as a river guide to working for Hilton Hotels, managing guest services at Primland Resort, and leading teams at Hurtigruten and HX, he spent well over 15 years in the travel industry. These days, he specializes in small expedition cruises and remote destinations.

Matthew believes that real adventure starts where the roads end. And when you're heading somewhere wild, it helps to have someone who's been there before.

After earning a degree in IT, Mari quickly discovered that her true passion wasn’t behind a screen, but out in the world. She joined the travel industry in 2011 with Hurtigruten and has never looked back. Over the years, she has gained experience in nearly every area of the industry, including sales and customer service, team leadership, FIT and group bookings, as well as reporting and invoicing. Her unique blend of technical expertise and operational insight gives her a strong “big picture” understanding of how the travel business works. Now based in Estonia, Mari supports Cruise Norway’s sales and operations teams. Her latest adventure took her to Svalbard—a place that stole her heart and sparked an even more profound love for Arctic travel.

Meet Ivo – Expedition Travel Expert

Born and raised in Berlin, Ivo has always felt strongly connected to the water. From an early age, he pursued his passion for the sea through sailing and water sports—interests that continue to shape his life today. With over 12 years of experience in expedition travel, including seven years at Hurtigruten Coastal and Expeditions, Ivo has helped countless travellers plan unforgettable journeys. His time on the Customer Care team gave him a deep understanding of guests’ needs and the importance of personal service, skills that still benefit his clients daily.

Ivo has explored diverse landscapes across continents and oceans, including the stunning coastlines of Norway, Greenland, and the Arctic. Today, he lives in Estonia, where he continues to embrace his love for traveling, hiking, and sailing.

Fluent in German, English, and Russian, Ivo takes pride in helping travellers find the perfect voyage and cabin. His in-depth knowledge of expedition ships from Hurtigruten, HX, Havila, Atlas Ocean Voyages, and Oceanwide Expeditions allows him to offer tailored advice based on each ship’s layout, features, and onboard experience.

Ivo is not only experienced and knowledgeable but also warm and approachable. He lives by the motto:

“When you truly understand the beauty of this world, you treat the planet and its people with respect.”

Norwegian-born Espen is the founder of Cruise Norway. He started his venture in the cruise business in the 90s working for the New York based trade publication Cruise Industry News. In 1999, he purchased several domain names, including cruisenorway.com and incorporated the company in 2000. Cruise Norway claims to be the first company to feature “virtual cruises” on the internet using flash technology in 2003. The virtual Cruise depicted the Norwegian Coastal Voyage/Hurtigruten sailing the Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen route which is familiar to Espen. (Sidebar: Karl Espen’s grandfather Karl Fjermeros took the route to Kirkenes on the vessel Finnmarken under less glamorous circumstances as a German prisoner in 1942). The internet focused Cruise Norway company with offices in lower Manhattan grew rapidly despite many crises, including 9/11 and the financial crisis. In 2008, Espen saw opportunities in Asia and inspired by his uncle Emil Fjermeros who lived and worked in India for over 30 years, he started Cruise Norway India (today Expedition Voyages). In 2015, Cruise Norway was purchased by west coast investors headed by the Global Voyages Group. However, Espen continued in the business running Expedition Voyages India. In 2018, he co-founded Epic Polar with Julia Wright before having the opportunity to acquire Cruise Norway back. Today Cruise Norway is once again a thriving entity with the most talented cruise expedition advisors in the industry relentlessly growing the business despite the Covid pandemic. Life enriching experiences to the remote Arctic and Antarctica will never go out of style, and Cruise Norway once again has a bright future ahead. Espen and his wife, the painter Denise Shaw, have traveled numerous places in the world and on expedition ships in Antarctica, Arctic Svalbard and Far East Russia.