Chen will be responsible for growing the presence of the company’s China-based brands
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Carnival Corporation & plc has named Roger Chen as chairman in China, making him responsible for representing and growing the presence of the company’s China-based brands.
Previously, Chen has held several senior positions where he led strategic efforts in China for major multi-national corporations and most recently served as China president for Volvo Group.
In his new role he will be based in Shanghai and lead all government relations and port development, while also supporting the company’s joint ventures in China. Chen will report directly to Alan Buckelew, chief operations officer for Carnival Corporation, who relocated to Shanghai in 2014 to oversee operations in China. Buckelew will continue to provide strategic leadership to drive the company’s long-term growth plans in Asia. Michael Ungerer, recently named chief operations officer-shared services for Carnival Asia, will continue to support growth across the brands in Asia.
“Roger comes to us with over 25 years of experience working for major global companies that have significant operations in China, as well as time spent working within the Chinese government, all of which will be invaluable to our growth strategy in China and Asia as a whole,” said Buckelew. “We look forward to Roger’s leadership and deep knowledge of government affairs as he oversees Carnival Corporation’s strategic initiatives across all our brands in China, where we expect continued growth and expansion as the leading cruise operator in what has quickly become one of the fastest growing markets in the world.”
This year, Carnival Corporation brands Costa Cruises and Princess Cruises will each add a ship to their respective China-based fleets. This represents a 58% increase in capacity and makes Carnival Corporation the first global cruise company with six total ships based in the country.
In 2017, Princess Cruises will launch the first vessel built specifically for Chinese guests, Majestic Princess, which will be based in China year-round. Plus, Carnival Cruise Line and AIDA Cruises will debut in the market, making Carnival Corporation the first company to operate four cruise brands in China.
Last December, the company also contracted Fincantieri to build two new 135,500gt ships for Costa Asia, which will be deployed in China by 2020.