Some of the 20 under 40 finalists: from left: Michael DeMeo, VP Cruise NYC EDC, New York City Economic Development Corp. ; Rebecca Keeler, Commercial Manager, ABP Southampton; Amaury de Williencourt, Country Manager, France & Monaco, Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services ; Barbara Buczek, Director of Corporate Development and Operational Business, Port of Dover ; Craig Milan, VP Itinerary Planning and Destination Development, Virgin Voyages; Brian Whelan, Staff Captain, Star Princess, Princess Cruises ; Mary Bond, Managing Director, Publishing and Content, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Seatrade Cruise Review ; Neil Palomba, President, Costa Crociere.
In its inaugural year, Seatrade Cruise News 20 under 40 enjoyed global participation and attracted nearly 100 entries in its search for the top 20 young talents from the cruise industry.
LISBON, PORTUGAL – A global search for cruising’s top 20 under 40s came to an exciting conclusion as the winners of Seatrade Cruise News 20 Under 40 were announced at Seatrade Cruise Med 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal.
The winners were announced during a ceremony at Seatrade Cruise Med; which saw the final 20 successful individuals announced and those attending the event receive a special commemorative trophy and an invite to join the stage for a short interview with two members of the judging panel – Mary Bond, Managing Director of Publishing, Seatrade and Craig Milan, VP Itinerary Planning & Destination Development, Virgin Voyages.
In a special speech, Mary highlighted those in the audience that made the top 40 before it was whittled down to 20 finalists.
In its inaugural year, Seatrade Cruise News 20 under 40 enjoyed global participation and attracted nearly 100 entries in its search for the top 20 young talents from the cruise industry. The entries were firstly narrowed down to a top 40 shortlist and announced in August, with the top 20 kept a closely-guarded secret until today.
“Both the volume and standard of entries this competition received has been truly outstanding; which made selecting the Top 20 winners a difficult task” said Bond. “Each individual who was nominated should be extremely proud of not just themselves; but the future they are helping to ensure for cruise. It’s so encouraging to see so much young talent build; maintain and innovate this thriving and exciting industry.”
Congratulations to each of our top 20 winners! (Listed here in alphabetical order according to last name):
- Barbara Buczek, Director of Corporate Development and Operational Businesses, Port of Dover
- Andrew L. Carricarte, President, CEO, Tritan Software Corporation
- Shiky Chen, Director, Market Planning, Princess Cruises
- Isabelle Cote, Manager – Guest Experience, Destinations North America
- Amaury De Williencourt, Country Manager France and Monaco, Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services
- Michael DeMeo, VP Cruise NYC EDC, New York City Economic Development Corp.
- Marco Fantasia, Sr. Director, Regulatory Compliance Safety and Training, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings
- Simon Ho, VP Guest Experience & On Board Revenue, Dream Cruises
- Rebekah Keeler, Commercial Manager, Associated British Ports, Southampton
- Tim Krug, Head of Department Sales and Design, Meyer Werft GmbH & Co. KG
- Captain Benjamin Lyons, CEO, Expedition Voyage Consultants, Expedition Voyage Consultants
- Lauren Miller, General Counsel, Carnival Australia, Carnival Australia
- Valeryi Nagornyi, CEO, Vladivostok Sea Terminal LLC
- Neil Palomba, President, Costa Crociere
- Jess Peterson, Director, Itinerary and Revenue Planning, Windstar Cruises
- Denise Saviss, VP, Entertainment Experience, Princess Cruises
- Ryan Stana, Founder and CEO, RWS Entertainment Group
- Jianfeng Tong, Director APAC Operations, Royal Caribbean (RCL)
- Brian Whelan, Staff Captain, Star Princess, Princess Cruises, Princess Cruises
- Jason Worth, VP Finance & Accounting – Asia Pacific, Norwegian Cruise Line
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
