Who’s Where in Travel: New at NCL, Hurtigruten and Carnival Corp.

More major executive appointments in the cruise industry this week. 

Norwegian Cruise Line named Katina Athanasiou its chief sales officer. Reporting directly to Norwegian President and CEO Andy Stuart, she will be responsible for maximizing opportunities across all third-party booking channels while Camille Olivere, senior vice president of sales and trade partnerships, will directly lead the cruise line’s efforts with strategic accounts and independent travel advisors. Athanasiou has more than 20 years of cruise industry experience, most recently acting as senior vice president of charters, meetings, incentives and events for all Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings brands. 

Hurtigruten appointed Storm Tussey-Haverly as vice president of marketing to lead its Seattle-based marketing team. Tussey-Haverly, who has held positions with Verizon Visible, Lego, and Webroot and Logitech, will be responsible for raising the company’s profile among core audiences and driving future business growth and development, with a special focus on growing market share in North America.

Carnival Corporation named Peter C. Anderson to the newly created position of chief ethics and compliance officer. Based in the company’s Miami headquarters, Anderson will be a member of its executive team, reporting directly to Carnival Corp. President and CEO Arnold Donald. A former federal prosecutor with over 20 years of experience in corporate compliance, he was initially engaged by Carnival Corporation to conduct a compliance program assessment. In his new role, he will direct strategy for the company’s compliance program, including leading the effort to develop a new compliance training program. Additionally, he will oversee Operation Oceans Alive, Carnival Corporation’s environmental commitment and stewardship program, officially launched in 2018.

In hotel news, Playa Hotels & Resorts promoted Kevin Froemming to the role of executive vice president and chief commercial officer. This newly created role makes Froemming responsible for driving Playa’s commercial strategy and initiatives throughout revenue and distribution, global sales and marketing and e-commerce, as well as brand performance and deliverability. He previously served as the company’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer. 

Menin Hospitality, a collection of upscale lodging, lifestyle restaurants and nightlife venues, appointed Robert Festinger as its vice president. Festinger will oversee all day-to-day operations for Menin Hospitality’s portfolio of hotels, including the Mondrian South Beach, Shelborne South Beach, Gale South Beach, Gale Boutique Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale and Raffaello Chicago. He has over two decades worth of hospitality experience, having worked at properties across South Florida, New York and Chicago.

Loews Hotels & Co. named Steve Younes its executive vice president and chief human resources officer. Prior to Loews he served as senior vice president, human resources at Ascension, the largest non-profit healthcare company in the U.S. and largest Catholic healthcare company globally.

A number of individual properties also made new leadership appointments:

  • Bay Gardens Resorts in St. Lucia appointed Kelly Fontenelle-Clarke as its U.S. sales and marketing representative. She is based in Atlanta.
  • Beach Enclave Turks & Caicos named Valerie Lund its director of sales and marketing. 
  • The Unscripted Durham in North Carolina named Matthew Whiteheart its general manager.
  • Wymara Resort & Villas in Turks and Caicos welcomed its new general manager, Rolf Lippuner.
  • The Marquis Los Cabos announced Miguel Torres I. as its new general manager.

Finally, in destination news, the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board promoted Craig Gibbons to regional director, Oceania and Southeast Asia, as part of a plan to expand its promotion efforts in the Asia Pacific region. The move means that Gibbons, who had been the organization’s regional director, Australia / New Zealand since 2014, will now add Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam to his area of responsibility. 

Visit Orlando appointed Michael D. Waterman as its new chief sales officer, overseeing its travel industry and convention sales team. With almost 30 years of experience in hospitality sales and marketing, Waterman’s background includes a 24-year tenure in multiple sales and marketing leadership roles at Marriott International and, most recently, as the president and CEO of Visit Houston. He has also served on the boards of the U.S. Travel Association and Destination International

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