In yet another unexpected cruise industry announcement this week, SeaDream Yacht Club said Pamela Conover has resigned as the company's Chief Executive Officer, effective December 4.
The company's brief statement said: "This follows the consolidation of the organization and decision making in Norway." Chairman and Owner Atle Brynestad will once again assume the role of CEO.
SeaDream said Conover, a veteran industry leader and former president and CEO of Cunard Line and Seabourn Cruise Line, would spend the next month working with Brynestad on the transition of her duties.
The announcement continued: "Atle Brynestad stated that he respects her decision to leave and thanked her for her contributions to SeaDream."
Travel Agent outlined Conover's philosophy and perspective shortly after she assumed the helm of SeaDream earlier this year.
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Industry insiders report that Conover was an excellent leader and manager, much as Larry Pimentel was prior to his departure several years ago. But Brynestad, who was "hands-off" in the initial phase of SeaDream's launch due to other business commitments, now appears to be more involved in the day-to-day decision making.
It was originally hoped that Conover could serve as an effective liaison between the SeaDream team in the U.S. and the Norway headquarters, as Travel Agent reported earlier this year. The goal was to free up Bob Lepisto, the line's president, to go back to focusing more on sales and marketing, his specialty.
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SeaDream Yacht Club operates two casually elegant mega-yachts, SeaDream I and SeaDream II. Each serves a maximum of 112 guests with a crew of 95. "It’s yachting, not cruising,” defines not only the size of the vessels, but the onboard lifestyle and anticipatory service. SeaDream's itineraries visit both trendy hot spots and off-the-beaten path ports.