MIAMI, Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) has appointed Costa Cruises Chairman Pier Luigi Foschi to oversee the company's growth strategies within the rapidly expanding Asian region.
In his role as chairman and chief executive officer of the new Carnival Asia unit, Foschi will be responsible for establishing Carnival Corporation & plc's new corporate offices in Singapore and providing guidance and assistance to the organization's various operating units in pursuing their Asian cruise strategies.
Currently, Carnival Corporation & plc's Asia operations include two Costa Cruises ships based in China and Singapore and Princess Cruises' Sun Princess, which will launch a series of voyages from Japan next spring.
Foschi, who retired as CEO of Costa Cruises in July, will continue to serve in his current role of chairman and a managing director of the Costa group and as a member of the board of directors of Carnival Corporation & plc.
Foschi has extensive experience in the Asian marketplace, overseeing Costa's initial entry into the region in 2006 and has also maintained excellent relationships with local government and tourism officials. Additionally, prior to joining Costa, Foschi resided in Hong Kong and Singapore for many years while serving as executive vice president of Pacific Asia operations for the Otis Elevator Company.
"With Asia such an important part of our global strategy, it's critical that we increase our presence in the region by establishing this new office in Singapore and appointing an experienced executive to coordinate our current operations and our future expansion efforts," said Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc's chairman and CEO. "Pier is the ideal candidate for this new role and considering that his responsibilities at Costa are winding down, we are delighted that he agreed to oversee our growth strategies in this emerging cruise region," he added.
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise company in the world, with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).
Together, these brands operate 100 ships totaling 202,000 lower berths with seven new ships scheduled to be delivered between March 2013 and March 2016. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc
MEDIA, Jennifer de la Cruz, +1-305-599-2600, ext. 16000 or INVESTOR RELATIONS, Beth Roberts +1-305-406-4832
