By
Rebecca Gibson |
Orlando Ashford is to join Holland America Line’s (HAL) as president from 1 December.
Ashford will join the company from his position as president of the Talent Business Segment at global consulting firm leader Mercer. Prior to his role at Mercer, Ashford held various senior executive roles at Marsh & McLennan Companies, Coca-Cola Company, and Motorola.
“We are fortunate to have Orlando join our team, bringing with him a career’s worth of global experience leading high-performance teams that helped innovate some of the most respected and well-known companies in the world,” said Stein Kruse, CEO of HAL. “I am confident that Orlando’s leadership will enable HAL to build on its uncompromising ‘Signature of Excellence’ commitment to deliver a superior guest experience that will continue generating rave reviews from our guests, travel professionals and the industry alike.”
Based in HAL’s Seattle headquarters, Ashford will oversee HAL’s sales and marketing, revenue management, deployment and itinerary planning, public relations, hotel operations and strategy. He will report to Kruse and will be part of the group’s executive leadership team alongside brand leaders Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises; Richard Meadows, president of Seabourn and president of Cunard North America; and Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia.
“HAL is a remarkable and highly respected company that delivers exceptional experiences and indelible memories of joy and adventure to their guests,” said Ashford. “It’s a noble mission and I am eager to get to work with this talented group of service-minded employees to unleash new ideas while building on the success of this thriving global business.”