P&O Princess Cruises International CEO and Carnival Corporation & plc executive director Peter Ratcliffe has announced that he will retire as CEO of P&O Princess on his 60th birthday, 6 March 2008.
P&O Princess Cruises International is the largest division of Carnival Corporation & plc, encompassing the Cunard Line, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia and Princess Cruises brands. It was formed after P&O Princess Cruises plc, now Carnival plc, merged with Carnival Corporation in 2003. P&O Princess Cruises plc was originally formed in 2000 with the spin-off of the cruise business of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company.
Effective immediately, Carnival UK managing director David Dingle has been promoted to president and CEO of Carnival UK, responsible for Cunard Line, P&O Cruises and Ocean Village. Mr. Dingle has also been appointed chairman of the Carnival Corporation & plc Management Committee, in which position he will also be responsible for the P&O Cruises Australia brand. (The day-to-day operations of P&O Cruises Australia are run by Carnival Australia managing director Gavin Smith.)
Also effective immediately, Princess Cruises president Alan Buckelew has been promoted to CEO of Princess Cruises.
Mr. Ratcliffe has been with P&O since 1973. He was appointed CFO of then-P&O subsidiary Princess Cruises in 1986, followed by COO in 1989 and president in 1993. In 2000, P&O appointed Ratcliffe as head of its cruise business in preparation for its de-merger to form P&O Princess Cruises plc. He has been CEO of P&O Princess Cruises International and an executive director of Carnival Corporation & plc since the merger between Carnival Corporation and P&O Princess Cruises plc in 2003.
Mr. Dingle and Mr. Buckelew are also veterans of P&O Princess and its predecessor companies. Mr. Dingle joined P&O in 1978 and became managing director of P&O Cruises in 2000 and of Carnival UK in 2003. Mr. Buckelew joined Sitmar Cruises in 1977; Sitmar was bought by P&O and merged with Princess Cruises in 1988 and he was appointed president of Princess Cruises in 2004.
According to Ratcliffe, “It has always been a goal of mine to retire at age 60 and in this case, the effective date is actually my 60th birthday. I’ve had a tremendously rewarding career in this industry and know that I leave the future of my cherished brands in the most capable hands of David and Alan”.
For a full press release from Carnival Corporation & plc, see here.
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