Josh Leibowitz took the helm of Seabourn Cruises in June as president, replacing Rick Meadows, who left the company at the end of May. Leibowitz has been Carnival Corp.'s chief strategy officer since 2013 and senior vice president of Cunard North America since late 2016. He spoke with news editor Johanna Jainchill about starting in the top role at Seabourn during a pandemic and how his years at management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. guide his leadership.
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Josh Leibowitz
Q: You started during perhaps the cruise industry's most challenging moment. How will you steer Seabourn through the pandemic?
A: The health, safety and well-being of our crew and guests, and compliance with all major regulations and environmental protection, is our No. 1 priority during a pandemic and outside a pandemic. That hasn't changed; the conditions of how to achieve that have changed. I don't have an answer to how we'll address that yet, but we have good processes. First, we are watching what is occurring around the world: What is happening as society reopens, what's working, what's not. Second, what does the most current science and medical evidence tell us about how to live in an environment where Covid is present? Third, management across our brands is working with leading experts and industry associations around what we call an abbreviation of harm: practical, adaptable risk management.
Q: Some small ships are already sailing. Is there an opportunity for Seabourn to come back before other Carnival Corp. brands?
A: It's too early for me to answer that. But in the way we're approaching our work, one key part of our process is understanding how the whole society is opening and other businesses are opening, and we are watching those closely. We're hopeful that any travel company that opens before us is able to establish a precedent of successful operations, because that enables every other company that will hopefully come after.
Q: How does having experience on the corporate and brand sides guide your leadership?
A: Seeing so many of our brands and spending meaningful time with Seabourn, I've built up the utmost admiration and respect for the team, onboard and shoreside, and the incredible experience that Seabourn delivers and how it is so differentiated from the other brands in our portfolio and the industry. Having that perspective allowed me to come into the role with an appreciation for what makes the brand so popular among guests and travel agents, and with the curiosity to ask questions and learn more to understand better what will allow to us to expand the base of travelers that come for an ultraluxury ocean experience. The one point I made incessantly in my strategy role is that our goal is to build the category of travel. We are still a tiny portion of the ultraluxury vacation space. My main focus will be on how we expand the market by bringing in a whole set of consumers who have never really considered or tried the Seabourn experience. I know from all the data that when you come on Seabourn, whether you're an avid cruiser, a noncruiser or even a rejecter, that you're blown away and want to come back.
Q: How does your background with McKinsey influence the way you approach being in the cruise industry?
A: At McKinsey, every few months you're faced with a new and varying business opportunity or challenge. The crux of the McKinsey way is to bring facts and analysis to those challenges to make better decisions. Every time I face a new challenge, I have that McKinsey way in my ear. We used to have an expression: "Make sure you know the question you're trying to answer and the burden of proof to get it right." Every day you have to approach work and ask yourself, what's the real question you're trying to answer and what facts and information can you bring to help get to an answer? With a brand like Seabourn the success is driven by the incredible people who work at the brand. So for me it's going to be: what is it that keeps those people motivated and engaged to do what they do so well? What role can I play to help make sure they're inspired and focusing on the right things and reaching their full potential every day? If we achieve that, we'll be back, and we'll be better than ever.