Royal Caribbean Restructures Finance Team

 

Royal Caribbean announced that Brian Rice, vice chairman and CFO of Royal Caribbean Cruises, will transition his CFO responsibilities to Jason Liberty as he prepares for his retirement in the spring of 2014. Rice will continue to serve as vice chairman until his retirement, overseeing Royal Caribbean’s finance, supply chain, strategy and information technology functions. Rice has been with Royal Caribbean for more than 20 years, serving as CFO since 2006 and Vice Chairman since 2012.

In a related move, Jason Liberty has been named the new CFO, effective immediately, and will continue to report to Rice. Liberty joined Royal Caribbean in 2005 and most recently served as SVP, Strategy and Finance, overseeing the company’s corporate and strategic planning, treasury, investor relations and internal audit functions. Before joining Royal Caribbean, Liberty was a senior manager at the accounting firm KPMG.

Additionally, Henry Pujol was named SVP and controller, and in his new role will report to Liberty. Pujol joined Royal Caribbean in 2004 as Assistant Controller and was promoted to VP, Corporate Controller in 2008. Before joining Royal Caribbean, Pujol was a senior manager in the audit practice of KPMG.

“Brian has been a key figure in the development of Royal Caribbean, and an important leader who has made significant contributions to the entire cruise industry,” said Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises. 

Fain lauded Rice’s role in the creation of the revenue management discipline, which is now a standard industry practice. “Brian’s foresight and financial discipline helped us all become better sellers,” said Fain. “At the same time, his focus and determination have ensured we continually improve our financial management and credit strength.”

Fain added that Rice developed a talent base at Royal Caribbean, and would use the next year to help the company transition successfully to its next generation of financial leadership.

For more information, visit www.royalcaribbean.com.