Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Carnival Corp Creates Chief Procurement Officer Position

Carnival Corporation Names Julia M. Brown to newly formed position of Chief Procurement Officer

Brown brings 25 years of leadership and global procurement experience to new role designed to strengthen strategic partnerships with company's network of suppliers around the world


Julia M. Brown
MIAMI, March 25, 2015 -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest travel and leisure company, today named Julia M. Brown to the newly created role of Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) overseeing strategic sourcing and supplier relationship management.

As part of this new role, Brown will work closely with the company's nine brands and their support groups to strategically procure goods and services to further strengthen the company's supplier relationships and leverage its global scale.

"We are excited to have Julia join us as part of our global management team and take on this new role that will be critical in helping us further leverage our scale, accelerating our drive to double-digit returns on invested capital," said Arnold Donald, president & CEO for Carnival Corporation & plc. "I've had the opportunity to get to know Julia through our mutual association with the Executive Leadership Council, and she not only has an exceptional track record of leading procurement at companies with massive global operations, but also has a highly strategic and collaborative approach that will help us partner more closely with our suppliers to exceed guest expectations and drive value for the business."

Carnival Corporation's Chief Operations Officer Alan Buckelew added, "As we have become increasingly global, the role of coordinating our procurement and supply chains has become more and more complex. At the same time, our global sourcing function creates opportunities for us to improve guest experiences onboard our ships and collaborate across our brands to operate more efficiently. Julia brings a depth of leadership and experience that will help us capitalize on those opportunities, as we build on the success our teams have already achieved."

Brown will report to Josh Leibowitz, chief strategy officer for Carnival Corporation, and will be based at the company's headquarters in Miami.

"Julia is a highly respected individual with a collaborative and engaging style that has earned her a strong reputation for being able to build and inspire global teams. She will be an incredible addition to our global leadership team, and we're excited to see her positive impacts on our organization," said Leibowitz. "Our brands are increasingly working together to deepen relationships with our suppliers, so I look forward to working closely with Julia and our brand leaders to amplify those efforts, drive strategic sourcing partnerships and support our strategy to leverage our scale and exceed guest expectations."

Brown most recently served as CPO on the global management team at Mondelez International, which split from Kraft Foods in 2012. Prior to the split, Brown served as CPO and SVP of global procurement at Kraft Foods, responsible for the company's $30 billion strategic sourcing function. Prior to Kraft, she served as CPO and VP of corporate procurement and contract manufacturing at Clorox. Brown began her career at Procter & Gamble and also served in strategic roles at Diageo and Gillette.

Brown is on the board for the Executive Leadership Foundation and also serves as a trustee for the African American Experience Fund, which is part of The National Park Service. She also serves as a board member for the Primo Center in Chicago.

Brown has been named as one of the top 100 most "Influential Blacks in Corporate America" by Savoy Magazine, the top 100 Women to Watch by Today's Chicago Woman and listed in Black Enterprise's Top 75 Most Powerful Women in Business.

She received a Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada.

Source: Carnival Corp

Royal Caribbean to base Ovation of the Seas in China

Royal Caribbean said this morning they will homeport the third Quantum-class ship, Ovation of the Seas, at Tianjin, China.

Ovation will expand Royal Caribbean International's deployment in the Chinese market to five ships - Ovation of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas and Legend of the Seas - becoming the largest cruise fleet in China for any cruise brand. They are homeported at four Chinese metropolitan markets - Shanghai, Tianjin, Hong Kong and Xiamen - and sail three- to 12-night itineraries to destinations in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Apparently Ovation of the Seas will go to China immediately after delivery from Meyer Werft. It will be positioned to China with a 52-day cruise from Southampton to Tianjin departing Southampton on May 3, 2016. (It will also be sold in five segments.) That cruise will open for sale today (March 26, 2015).

The complete story appeared in the March 25 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Still a Star

Norwegian Star is leaving the Mexican Riviera soon for Europe, but before it goes, it just spent two weeks in dry dock getting new features above the waterline and enhancements as part of the maintenance below the decks.

Since it returned to service last week, thanks to the new features, some passengers have been “wasting away in Margaritaville,” while others have been imagining themselves in Argentina for dinner.

The complete story appeared in the March 24 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Disney Sets First British Isles Program

Disney Cruise Line said today they will operate their first British Isles cruise during the summer of 2016.

The 12-night sailing aboard Disney Magic will embark from Dover on June 5, 2016, and comes amid Disney Magic’s summer program in Northern Europe and is Disney’s first time sailing to these British ports.

Details appear in the March 24 edition of Cruise News Daily.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Not Just an Entertainer, but Princess’ Entertainer of the Year

It’s that time of year again, and passengers aboard last week’s Crown Princess sailing were treated to performances  by all the finalists in Princess’ Entertainer of the Year contest so they could vote for the winner.

Comedic Magician Ben Seidman was chosen as the winner of the title and a $5,000 cash prize, after passengers saw all four finalists perform.

Details appeared in the March 23 edition of Cruise News Daily.