After 35 years, Bob Dickinson,
president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, will retire at the end
of this year, Carnival Corp. said.
Gerry Cahill,
executive vice president and CFO of Carnival Corp., will take over
as president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines effective
immediately, to allow ample transition time, Carnival
said.
"I have been
blessed to have had a long, fun-filled career helping to build
Carnival and the cruise industry," said Dickinson in a statement.
"I'm still having fun so giving all of that up has been a very
difficult decision but I'll be 65 next month and have been
pondering this with my family for some time. I look forward to
working with Gerry who will inherit what I believe is the most
talented and dedicated management team in the cruise
industry."
Dickinson joined
Carnival as executive vice president in 1972; in 1993, he was
promoted to president, followed by CEO in 2003.
He has served as
chairman of Cruise Lines International Association, the Travel
Industry Association and the Miami Beach Visitors and Convention
Authority, Carnival said.
"Bob has truly
achieved legendary status in the travel industry," said Micky
Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corp., in a statement. "There
is simply no other travel industry executive who is as well known
and respected as he."
Arison also
called Dickinson "one of the most influential people in the
development of the modern-day cruise industry," and said that
Dickinson would be missed "not only by everyone here at Carnival,
but by travel agents, his competitors and the media who loved his
often humorous sound bites."
Dickinson will
remain on the company's board of directors, Carnival Corp.
said.
Cahill, 56,
joined Carnival Corp. in 1994 as vice president of finance and in
1998 was promoted to senior vice president, finance and CFO. In
December 2003, he was promoted to executive vice president and
CFO.
Carnival also
said that David Bernstein, Carnival Corp. vice president and
treasurer, will become the company's CFO, also effective
immediately.
To contact reporter Johanna Jainchill, send e-mail to [email protected].