Thursday, May 30, 2024 - 12:34 by ce-press
After 12 years as chair of Cruise Europe (CE), Captain Michael McCarthy passed the baton to Simone Maraschi during the CE Conference in Stockholm in May.
From the start, McCarthy was keen to build a democratic leadership, saying: “In my opinion, leadership is not about directing but showing. I wanted to make full use of the Council’s expertise, through collaboration, trust-building, empowering the team and utilising their knowledge and expertise.”
This ethos has seen the association through some challenging times, not least fighting for associations, such as CE, to maintain a place in the CLIA world, the Covid pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has hit the eastern Baltic hard. Notwithstanding, the membership has grown from 90 to almost 150 during McCarthy’s tenure.
With Jens Skrede as managing director, the CE family, as it is now fondly known, has grown from strength to strength. Building on these strengths and taking them further will be new chair, Simone Maraschi, managing director Cruise Gate Hamburg.
Already an active CE member, Maraschi champions sustainability and collaboration and is keen to take these key tenets into the future: “Communication and collaboration amongst all the stakeholders is more important than ever. Please all of you, share your knowledge. I am filled with honour, enthusiasm and a lot of excitement to work towards a common goal of sustainable cruise. Together, we can overcome challenges, seize opportunities, and deliver exceptional experiences for cruise passengers.”
Just as the members came together to elect Maraschi unopposed, so they did to bid farewell to a chair who is, not only a colleague, but a true friend to many. Speeches and and an Abba-style rendition left many with a tear but we wish newly-awarded CE honorary ambassador McCarthy all the very best for the future, wherever it may take him.
