Carnival Corp, the world’s largest cruise company, has named Lars Ljoen as its new chief maritime officer.
Current chief maritime officer William Burke will step down from the role on 1 February.
Ljoen, currently chief operations officer for the company’s flagship Carnival Cruise Line brand, will oversee all aspects of maritime operations and its portfolio of cruise lines.
Ljoen will report to Carnival Corp chief executive Josh Weinstein.
“Lars is the obvious choice for this vital role, given his deep knowledge of our industry, his pedigree of success in key senior-level positions in the company and his ability to consistently deliver operational excellence and business results for our largest global cruise line,” Weinstein said.
Ljoen will also be responsible for strategic destination development and will oversee management of the company’s owned and operated ports.
“As we remain laser-focused on achieving our carbon and emissions-reduction goals and maintaining our leadership in safety and environmental best practices, Lars will bring his tremendous knowledge to build upon the legacy that Bill [Burke] has established during his tenure,” Weinstein said.
Prior to Carnival Cruise Line, Ljoen served with Carnival’s Costa Group since 2015, initially as senior vice president and then as executive vice president and managing director from 2016.
“I look forward to applying my experience and skills to an even bigger platform to ensure the company’s continued success,” Ljoen said.
Burke will transition into a new role as external affairs adviser for Carnival. He joined in 2013 in the newly created position of chief maritime officer.
“While Bill will wrap up his formal involvement in our daily operations, we’re thrilled he has agreed to stay with the company as external affairs adviser, where his advocacy, knowledge, relationships and leadership will continue to have a global impact,” Weinstein said.
Carnival achieved its best-ever first-quarter revenue of $5.41bn as booking volumes soared to an all-time high, it reported in March.
The company raised its net yield guidance for the full year 2024 by over a point to about 9.5%.
