Marisa Christenson, 40

Holland America Line and Seabourn Cruise Line

Associate vice president, food and beverage operations and development

Christenson has memories of watching “Iron Chef” in her dorm room at The Culinary Institute of America. Now, as a food and beverage leader in the cruise industry, she herself has been featured on “Top Chef” in an episode filmed onboard the Eurodam.

In leading the F&B for two cruise lines, Christenson guides the teams that develop everything from menus to onboard events. It feels like “the best job anyone could ask for,” she said. 

She said that she and her peers believe it’s important to stay nimble and lead with adaptability. “The next generation is bringing fresh perspectives, new ideas and innovative approaches to the table,” she said. 

Christenson added that she is inspired to be part of the next generation of industry leaders and said she and a colleague were recently told they were the future of Holland America Line and Seabourn. 

“In that moment, I truly felt the responsibility and significance of those words.”

Liz Fettes, 42

Cunard

Senior vice president, commercial for North America and Australasia

“Cruising has always been in my blood,” said Fettes, who was raised around cruise ships because her grandfather worked at Port Everglades.

She said her favorite part of her job at Cunard is the product itself. She finds great meaning in what she called “the brand’s deep generational legacy.”

“I recently learned that my great-grandparents sailed aboard a Cunard Queen, which makes this role and brand feel even more personal to me,” Fettes said.

Her generation is one that “has grown up navigating constant change, making us nimble,” Fettes said. The digital world, where so much of travel planning now lives, is one millennials know well, she said.

“At the same time, it’s important to balance modern innovation with classic tradition,” she added. “As a millennial, I fall right in the middle, allowing me to help bridge generational expectations.”

Alex Franceschini, 35

Quark Expeditions

Vice president, marketing

Early in her career, Franceschini set a goal of becoming a vice president before turning 30. It’s one she accomplished, and even now that she’s five years into her 30s, she said she is still often the youngest person in the room in professional settings.

“I learned to see that as an advantage,” she said. “It pushed me to be sharp, prepared and a step ahead.”

At Quark, Franceschini leads marketing operations globally. Her favorite part of the job is team-building.

“I love developing people, watching them step into their potential,” she said.

Franceschini said she believes millennial travel leaders focus on using travel as a means of growing empathy and curiosity.

“The more people understand what exists beyond their own bubble, the more open, thoughtful and compassionate they become,” she said. 

Katie Kania, 34

Norwegian Cruise Line

Senior director of agency sales, North America

Kania’s ascent from business development manager at NCL to director of all agency sales for the continent happened in just five years. While guiding the line’s BDM strategy nationwide, she also frequently serves as a face of the company at conferences. “I love being up on a stage sharing NCL news,” she said.

As a digital native, her embrace of technology in the workplace is the one way she thinks her age influences her approach to her job: “I naturally reach for technological solutions.”

She sees the future of the cruise industry as one intertwined with environmental responsibility.

“When we look at the number of new ships on order, it is imperative that our generation is continuing to constantly innovate to protect our oceans,” Kania said.

Erica Kinsella, 41

Victory Cruise Lines

CFO

Kinsella said she is drawn to complexity in her work, and as a combination of hospitality and transportation, “the cruise industry caught my attention because it is uniquely complex.” 

And Victory is also a company experiencing a rebirth after CEO John Waggoner brought it back into service last spring. That means her job has involved “helping to build something from the ground up that is made to last,” which Kinsella said has been her favorite part.

“There is something fulfilling about helping shape an organization’s foundation,” she said.

Though her job centers around finances, she said the future of the cruise industry overall requires more than just monetary success.

“The goal is not growth for growth’s sake,” she said. “It is about creating modern, responsible, human-centered cruise companies and building them to last.”

Iain McNeill, 42

HX Expeditions

COO and deputy CEO

McNeill was an engineer in the oil and gas industry before getting his MBA. All the while, he was traveling the world in remote regions like Alaska, the Himalayas and Patagonia. Transitioning into a business role with an expedition cruise line eight years ago was what he calls “the easiest career decision.”

He wears many hats in his roles — McNeill thinks of himself as a conductor of various departments across the organization — but one of his favorites is the annual sailings he takes on each of the cruise line’s ships. He recalls surveying a landing site several years ago in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and encountering a polar bear and her two cubs devouring a whale carcass.

His generation of cruise leaders is one with a mission to make travel more than a vacation but “a force for good,” he said.

“Whether it’s fostering cultural understanding, supporting research and education in delicate environments or contributing positively to remote communities, I believe our generation of leaders must be expected to deliver on the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit.”

Allyson Nichols, 39

Carnival Cruise Line

Vice president, integrated planning and product development

Nichols transitioned to the cruise industry after a career in politics. After getting her start with CLIA, she joined Carnival Cruise Line 10 years ago and now helps design guest experiences and ensures that departments within Carnival are well connected.

The launch of the private destination Celebration Key last year was a moment where years of work turned into a tangible experience for guests, which she called “incredibly meaningful.”

Like other millennial leaders, she described her generation as collaborative and said as a leader, she is “comfortable with change.”

“I’m naturally inclined to ask questions, challenge assumptions and look for new ways to solve problems while still deeply valuing the institutional knowledge that exists within the industry,” Nichols said.

Jess Peterson, 35

Windstar Cruises

Director of destination experience and itinerary planning 

Peterson fell in love with cruising at age 5 on his first sailing. 

“I ordered brochures from every company and would memorize itineraries and deck plans,” he said. “My parents joke that I’ve been doing this job since I was 8, because I used to create my own itineraries.”

One of his favorite parts of his job at Windstar is “being on the ground, walking neighborhoods, tasting food, talking with local guides and figuring out what actually resonates — that’s where the magic starts,” Peterson said.

He said he believes his age offers him a perspective that blends respect for cruising’s traditions with an openness to its evolution. 

“For me, the future of cruising is about depth over scale,” Peterson said. “Smaller ships, more time in port, deeper connections and freedom to choose your own path.”

Iain Powell, 36

Hurtigruten

Chief commercial officer

Powell’s first job in travel was working on the switchboard at Virgin Holidays, but he was sure he’d end up in the cruise industry eventually. “It felt inevitable,” he said, thanks to an obsession with being by the ocean.

Now with Hurtigruten for the last two years, Powell leads sales and marketing across seven regions and directs revenue management, analytics and the call center.

Prior to that, he worked at other European cruise brands, but he likes Hurtigruten’s Norway focus, saying the country is “truly unique ... it’s hard to put into words until you experience it for yourself.” 

He said his age has helped him keep up with how quickly the travel industry evolves while giving him “the confidence to question established commercial models and challenge the mindset of ‘we’ve always done it this way.’”

Stephen Schuler, 42

MSC Cruises

Vice president of communications, U.S.

Last year, on the morning of the MSC World America’s naming ceremony, Schuler was helping pull off a live broadcast for the “Today” show onboard. It wasn’t a simple feat, and he also knew it was only one of many avenues needed to reach a broad market in today’s media landscape.

“We experienced a world before social media and smartphones but also witnessed firsthand how the world has changed and evolved,” he said of millennials.

He was satisfied to hear that the messaging he helped disseminate about the ship had successfully reached multiple generations. His friend’s grandmother saw a report about the World America on Telemundo, a 25-year-old relative learned about it via an influencer, and his mother’s friends caught the segment on “Today.”

“I think the main advantage my age provides is the understanding [of] how messages, mediums and motivations change generationally,” Schuler said.

Kevin Smith, 43

Sea Cloud Cruises

Chief sales officer 

Smith described his generation of leaders as “committed to reshaping the cruising industry.”

That means fewer cookie-cutter approaches and more authenticity, he said.

His approach to guiding Sea Cloud has been inspired by participating in a multigenerational golf group, where members range from age 32 to 64. Those relationships have helped him refine skills from collaboration to utilizing feedback. They call their group The Finer Things Club, he said.

“By engaging with a diverse audience and rethinking our offerings, I believe we can redefine cruising for a new generation,” he said.

His favorite part of his job?

“When a guest or advisor tells me they wish they knew about this Sea Cloud experience earlier,” he said. “The Delta Diamond status is also a major perk!”

Anthony Stice, 40

Margaritaville at Sea

Senior vice president, hotel operations 

Heading up Margaritaville at Sea’s hotel operations, in part, means leading 1,400 onboard crew members. Stice finds being a younger leader to be an advantage in developing trust and rapport with the crew, with whom he is closer in age. It also helps that he was once a crew member, with Royal Caribbean. 

Stice also considers himself responsible for every aspect of the guest experience, beginning with their arrival at the port. It’s a role that he said combines his natural professional interests in people, culture and F&B. 

Margaritaville’s second ship launch was among his most meaningful career moments. “The process pushed us mentally, physically and emotionally,” he said. “We built something special together; not just a ship, but a team.”