SEATTLE, Nov. 21, 2014 /CNW/ -- Holland America Line
announced today that effective Dec.
1, Orlando Ashford will join
the company as president to lead the award-winning cruise line's
brand and business, including its fleet of 15 premium vessels
carrying approximately 850,000 guests annually to all seven
continents. Ashford joins the company from Mercer, the global
consulting leader in talent, health, retirement and investments,
where he was president of the Talent Business Segment.
"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, chief executive officer, Holland
America Group. "I am confident that Orlando's leadership will
enable Holland America Line 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."
"Holland America Line is a remarkable and highly respected
company that delivers exceptional experiences and indelible
memories of joy and adventure to their guests," said Ashford, newly
appointed president of Holland America Line. "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."
Ashford will oversee Holland America Line's sales and marketing,
revenue management, deployment and itinerary planning, public
relations, hotel operations and strategy. He will report to
Holland America Group CEO 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 AO, chief executive officer,
Carnival Australia. Ashford will relocate to the Holland America
Line headquarters office in Seattle.
Prior to his role at Mercer, Ashford served as senior vice
president, chief human resources and communications officer of
Mercer's parent company, Marsh & McLennan Companies. He also
has held several other leadership roles during the course of his
career, including group director of human resources for 90
countries in Eurasia and Africa
for the Coca-Cola Company and vice president Corporate Center human
resources and cultural transformation. Previously he was vice
president of global human resources strategy and organizational
development for Motorola, Inc. where he helped modernize the human
resources function for the global tech leader.
Ashford's recently published book, Talentism, addresses
the global disconnect between available jobs – more than one-third
of employers worldwide cannot fill all available jobs – and the
estimated 202 million eligible workers who are unemployed
worldwide. Ashford examines how technology and human networks can
help bridge the skills gap, improve business performance, and lead
to the betterment of society at large.
Ashford is on the Board of Directors for a global manufacturing
company ITT Corporation. He is among the National Association of
Corporate Directors (NACD) 2013 and 2014 "Directorship 100," and
has been honored as a Purdue University
School of Technology Distinguished Alumnus. An active community
supporter, he is on the Board of Directors for the Executive
Leadership Council, the preeminent membership organization for the
development of global black leaders, and for Streetwise Partners,
an organization that brings together low-income individuals and
volunteer business professionals to develop workplace skills and
employment networks. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree and
Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership and
Industrial Technology from Purdue
University.
For more information about Holland America Line, contact a
travel professional or call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (1-877-724-5425) or
visit www.hollandamerica.com.
Editor's note: Photo is available at
http://www2.cleanpix.com/cleanpix/portal/W1n0Q-Q3f-9dP.
Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland
America Blog. Access all social media outlets via the Online
Communities quick link on the home page at
www.hollandamerica.com.
About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival
Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)]
Holland America Line's fleet of
15 ships offers more than 500 cruises to 415 ports in 98 countries,
territories or dependencies. One- to 110-day itineraries
visit all seven continents and highlights include Antarctica, South
America, Australia/New
Zealand and Asia voyages;
four annual Grand Voyages; and popular sailings to ports in the
Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Canada/New England, Europe and Panama Canal. The line currently
has a new 2,650-guest ship, ms Koningsdam, on order for
delivery in February 2016 from
Fincantieri shipyard.
Fleetwide, the company features Signature of Excellence
enhancements, a commitment totaling more than $500 million, that showcase the Culinary Arts
Center presented by Food & Wine magazine — a state-of-the-art
onboard show kitchen where more than 60 celebrated guest chefs and
culinary experts provide cooking demonstrations and classes —
Explorations Cafe powered by The New York
Times, Digital Workshop powered by Windows, teens-only
activity areas and all new stateroom amenities highlighted by
flat-panel TVs and plush Euro-top Mariner's Dream Beds.
World's Leading Cruise Lines
Holland America Line is a proud
member of World's Leading Cruise Lines. Our exclusive alliance also
includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Cunard Line, Princess Cruises,
Seabourn, Costa Cruises, AIDA, P&O Cruises UK and P&O
Cruises Australia. Sharing a passion to please each guest and a
commitment to quality and value, World's Leading Cruise Lines
inspires people to discover their best vacation experience.
Together, we offer a variety of exciting and enriching cruise
vacations to the world's most desirable destinations. Visit
us at www.worldsleadingcruiselines.com.
CONTACT:
|
Sally
Andrews
|
PHONE:
|
800-637-5029
|
FAX:
|
206-262-5934
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EMAIL:
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pr@hollandamerica.com
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Logo -
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SOURCE Holland America Line