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Sommer will replace the current CEO and President, Frank Del Rio, who has decided to retire and step down from his position and the board of directors effective June 30. The company also announced that David J. Herrera would be Norwegian Cruise Line’s new President, effective April 1, 2023. Neil Brodie is the Vice President of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) Experiences at Sea, Charters, Meetings and Incentives (CM&I), and Events. In this role, he is responsible for the overall leadership of events, groups, and charter sales and operations for the 32-ship portfolio of NCLH vessels, which includes those of Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and Oceania Cruises, as well as Sixthman, a wholly owned subsidiary of NCL. Adam Malone is the Chief Marketing Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line, responsible for leading the organization’s multi-channel marketing and advertising strategy. Malone oversees all digital marketing, e-commerce, consumer insights, promotional efforts plus partnerships and brand initiatives.
Norwegian Cruise Line Launches 2024 Europe Season
He is also serving as on the Executive Board of Advisors of Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, and Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. He is a former member of the board of directors for Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc., and Visit Florida. Russell Galbut is the Managing Principal of Crescent Heights, one of America’s largest and most respected residential developers and brings decades of insights into complex projects to the Board of Directors. Having been active in the urban mixed-use real estate sector for more than 35 years, Russell has led development in more than 15 markets across the United States and has developed more than 50,000 residential units, including pioneering the condo hotel concept. Currently, Russell serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board at Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. He has also previously served on multiple company boards, including Black Spade Acquisition Co, New Beginnings Acquisition Corp., Prestige, Capital Bank, and Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust Company.
Del Rio’s three decades in the cruise industry
He began his career with Princess Cruises, where he developed a diverse skillset through a vast range of positions across sales, hotel operations, trade marketing, onboard revenue, newbuild design, and passenger programs. Jason Krimmel will take the newly created role of chief international sales and marketing officer, working closely with Herrera to expand the brand’s international footprint. His strengths include deep cruise industry knowledge, ability to identify investor sentiment and a comprehensive understanding of the key drivers of our business model.
Fincantieri Lands Norwegian Cruise Line Order for Four Next-Gen Cruise Ships - MarineLink
Fincantieri Lands Norwegian Cruise Line Order for Four Next-Gen Cruise Ships.
Posted: Tue, 09 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Harry J. Sommer
Before being promoted to CEO of RBI, José spent 20 years in various leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Burger King, including Burger King Global President and President of Burger King Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA). Del Rio’s well-deserved retirement is the culmination of a remarkable career spanning three decades in the cruise industry. Del Rio has led the Company since 2015 and prior to that led Prestige Cruise International, Inc., or its predecessor, which operated Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, from 2002 until its acquisition by Norwegian.
Since October 2021, Herrera has served as chief consumer sales and marketing officer for NCL. Previously he was SVP finance and strategy for NCL and led corporate development for NCLH, after an earlier stint as president of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings China in Shanghai. Before joining Norwegian Cruise Line in 2017, Malone held positions at JPMorgan Chase and Capital One, including managing a number of co-branded credit card and private label programs for a variety of name-brand accounts. At NCL, Malone has held a variety of leadership positions including Senior Director of Customer Engagement and Senior Director of National Accounts, before his most recent role as Vice President of Consumer Marketing.
Eight Things That Will Surprise First Time Cruisers
Norwegian's brands may not impose social distancing rules per se, or purposely limit occupancy levels on ships to reduce crowding. But less-crowded ships are likely to be the de facto situation in the early months of the industry's comeback due to reduced bookings. Key ports around the world will need to reopen, for starters, and travel restrictions hampering cross-border movement will need to be eased.
NCLH’s current and future leaders speak about the transition
Prior to this, Harry served as President, International for NCLH, where he oversaw all international sales, marketing, and business development functions in markets beyond the United States and Canada. During his decades in the industry, Harry held various executive and senior management roles in major cruise companies such as Prestige Cruise Holdings, Renaissance Cruises, and Viking River Cruises. He also co-founded Luxury Cruise Center, a high-end travel agency specializing in premium and luxury cruise experiences. Byrd also played a key leadership role in the global implementation of the Company’s “Follow the Sun” initiative to provide Norwegian Cruise Line guests consistent superior customer service worldwide 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Sommer has more than 30 years of cruise industry experience across sales, marketing, revenue management, passenger services, itinerary development, and international business development and operations.
Financial Calendars
During his tenure with NCLH, Del Rio successfully led the company in welcoming eight new and innovative ships since 2015, introducing a second private island destination, Harvest Caye, and achieving industry-leading yields and financial results. Before his latest stretch with NCL, Sommer was with Prestige Cruise Holdings, prior to its acquisition by NCL, in positions including chief marketing officer, SVP finance and chief information officer and SVP accounting/chief accounting officer and controller. Zillah Byng-Thorne is an Operating Partner of True Capital Limited, an investment company. She is a seasoned manager focused on driving operational excellence with a proven record for developing talent at the senior level, and brings extensive experience in the technology sector, spanning specialty areas such as online gaming, digital media and e-commerce to NCLH’s Board of Directors.
Harry C. Curtis
Frank Del Rio, President, and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., has agreed to an extension of his previous deal with an additional three years. Del Rio succeeded Kevin Sheehan on January 9, 2015, and has led the company on a successful charge in the cruise industry since then. Del Rio also led NCLH through the COVID-19 pandemic, the most tumultuous time in its 56-year history, and was a vocal leader and advocate for the entire cruise industry through unprecedented times as it worked to resume cruise operations globally.
The company operates through the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands. During his talk with TPG, Del Rio was optimistic about the future of cruising -- a surprise, perhaps, given the beating the industry has taken financially and in the media in recent months. None of its ships have sailed since March, and it's had to furlough or send home many of its 33,000 employees.
Most recently he served as the Brand’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for Norwegian Cruise Line, responsible for driving demand and global market share across the Company’s key global source markets. In this role, he oversaw the organization’s consumer advertising and promotional strategy as well as direct outbound and online sales channels. Norwegian passengers will spend an average of 10 hours in port, where they can choose from a variety of shore excursions focused on food, architecture and local experiences. Guests can also extend their voyage by adding a pre- or post-cruise trip, which includes roundtrip flights, hotel stays, transportation and excursions. Cruisetours are available in 10 European destinations, including Istanbul, Turkey; Paris, France; Barcelona, Spain; Reykjavik, Iceland; Rome and Venice, Italy.
After that, Frank del Rio did a stint as the Senior VP, CFO, and later Co-CEO at the failed, but fabled, Renaissance Cruises, which operated sixteen ships. Prior to joining the company, Herrera was founder and managing partner of Eastside Financial Group, a private investment firm. Earlier in his career, he was Vice President at Sanford C. Bernstein, where he advised high-net-worth families and endowments on financial matters, Vice President of Marketing, Finance and Reinsurance for Markel Corporation, and an investment banker at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in the Financial Institutions Group. “Leading Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional career,” said Frank Del Rio.
During his tenure, Del Rio successfully led the Company in welcoming eight new and innovative ships since 2015, introducing the Company’s second private island destination, Harvest Caye, and achieving industry-leading yields and financial results. Del Rio also led the Company through the COVID-19 pandemic, the most tumultuous time in its 56-year history, and was a vocal leader and advocate for the entire cruise industry through unprecedented times as it worked to resume cruise operations globally. Prior to her current role, she held various positions within the organization including senior director of Onboard Sales where she oversaw the successful development of Norwegian’s CruiseNext program, increasing sales by 291 percent in only three years. Byrd also led the expansion of her Outbound Sales team, growing the departments from 12 to 300 NCL team members. Previously, she was director of Consumer Sales, managing Inbound and Outbound Remote Consumer Sales as well as Sales Training and Development. She began her time with the organization in 2008 as a sales manager for the Outbound Sales team.
The appointment — which was expected — sees the current president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line take the top spot at NCLH, which also includes Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. He began his career with roles in Investment Banking, Capital Markets, and Corporate Restructurings while at Bear Stearns and Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette. David earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
For the most part, cruise lines have not been offering radically low pricing for future cruises since the coronavirus crisis began. But Del Rio said recent price slashing in the industry — he didn't mention any line by name, but cruise giant Carnival recently began selling fall cruises for under $30 a day -- was a flawed strategy. David Herrera is currently the Chief Consumer Sales and Marketing Officer for Norwegian Cruise Line, responsible for driving demand and global market share across NCL’s key global source markets. In his role, he oversees the organization’s consumer advertising and promotional strategy as well as direct outbound and online sales channels. He began his cruise career at Renaissance, from 1992 to 2000, ultimately as VP revenue management and direct marketing. He also has extensive experience as a board member and currently serves as a director of privately held Restaurant Brands Iberia, the largest restaurant company in the Iberian Peninsula.
Previously, Sommer served as President, International for the Company’s portfolio of award-winning brands, including Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. In this role, he was responsible for sales, marketing, public relations, business development and office operations for all markets outside of the United States and Canada. Sommer led efforts to expand the Company’s global footprint with the opening of several offices around the world and significantly strengthened its international presence. Previously, Sommer served as President, International for the Company’s portfolio of award-winning brands including Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. In this role, he was responsible for sales, marketing, public relations, business development, and office operations for all markets outside of the United States and Canada.
