Royal Caribbean Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Richard Fain, will step down from his position in January after 33 years, but will remain as Chair of the Board of Directors.
Chief Financial Officer Jason Liberty will succeed him as CEO and join the Board of Directors.
Richard Fain is the third-longest serving CEO among current S&P 500 leaders. The company said via a statement that “Fain’s storied career is defined by the innovations he championed involving every aspect of cruising – from revolutionary ship design to major sustainability efforts to the technologies and ground-breaking features that enriched the onboard experience for millions of guests,”
The company also highlighted Mr Fain’s achievements which included new and distinctive ship categories, with a diverse range of amenities and experiences that transformed the nature of cruising.
These include Royal Caribbean International’s Sovereign, Voyager, and Oasis classes; Celebrity Cruises’ Solstice and Edge classes; the highly anticipated Royal Caribbean International Icon class to be introduced in 2023; and Silversea Cruises’ “Project Evolution” that will become the industry’s first hybrid-powered ship when introduced in 2023.
Richard Fain, working with Jason Liberty, will continue his involvement in the Group’s ship construction program.
He was also the driving force behind the creation of the Healthy Sail Panel, a group of renowned health experts who established safety and wellness protocols to restore confidence in cruising safety.
Mr Liberty joined the Royal Caribbean Group in 2005 and served in several financial, strategic and operational roles before becoming CFO in 2013.
His operational duties have expanded over the years and gone well beyond the responsibilities normally associated with a CFO.
He is also responsible for Silversea Cruises, the Group’s joint ventures with TUI Cruises and Hapag Lloyd Cruises, as well as the Royal Caribbean Group’s strategy, technology, supply chain, port operations and legal functions.
The company also announced that Naftali Holtz will become CFO when Mr Liberty assumes the CEO role.
Ms Holtz is currently senior vice president of finance for the Royal Caribbean Group, responsible for corporate, capital and revenue planning and analysis, deployment planning, risk management and treasury.
For more information please visit RoyalCaribbeanGroup.com.
Travel Pursuit UK is a brand new travel trade news media. Click here for more exciting UK travel daily news and travel news updates that you won’t want to miss!
