Brancaleoni named new GM of Iberocruceros and Costa in Spain

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 24 April 2013 24 April 2013

Costa Crociere S.p.A. has announced that Massimo Brancaleoni has been promoted to the position of General Manager of Iberocruceros and Costa Cruises in Spain. He succeeds Alfredo Serrano, who is leaving the company.

Brancaleoni will be reporting directly to Michael Thamm, CEO of Costa Crociere S.p.A. and will be charged with the task of consolidating and strengthening the position of the Costa and Ibero brands in Spain, by means of the joint development of the two brands operating in the country.

“With his extensive international experience acquired in Italy, France and Asia, Massimo has the leadership skill required to lead the combined activities of Costa and Ibero as well as to further increase our competitiveness in the rapidly changing Spanish marketplace,” commented Costa Crociere S.p.A. CEO Michael Thamm.

“Spain is the third cruise market in Continental Europe and it’s a core market for Costa – said Massimo Brancaleoni. – I am certain that with our great commitment and hard work we will be able to face successfully the future challenges ahead of us.”

Massimo Brancaleoni, aged 45, born in Genoa, has taken his current role after a long experience in the Italian Company, started in 1997.

In his career, Massimo Brancaleoni was able to develop multiple skills in finance, sales and marketing and strategic management, becoming VP of World Wide Sales Services at the Genoa headquarters in 2009. He also achieved the ambitious objective - a real “first” for the cruise industry -  of launching Costa in Asia, both as a brand and in terms of operations, in his position as Vice President of the newly established Pacific Asia Operations (PAO) division from 2005 to 2009.

Carnival’s China operations profitable for first time 2012

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 23 April 2013 23 April 2013

Carnival Corporation & plc recorded a profit from its operation in China for the first time last year, six years after its Costas Crociere unit commenced business there, said Howard S. Frank, Vice Chairman, Chief Operating Officer and Member of Executive Committee of the world’s largest cruise shipping group.

“In China, the cost of China business, which was established as I said in 2006, achieved profitability for the first time in 2012, which is greatly encouraging. We added a second ship to Costa Atlantica to the Asian fleet, doubling the size, more than doubling the size of Costa Victoria has already been there,” he told the shareholders meeting of the group in London last week.

“And we will source, we expect to source 185,000 Chinese passengers in 2013 on the Costa fleet. In Japan, where we are just beginning at the end of this month to open up cruising to the Japanese market. We have a sort of a step ahead of other operators. We are really the only major -- Princess will be the only major operator in Japan."

“And we are looking to source up to 100,000 passengers, Japanese passengers in 2014. You can see -- you continue to see the strategy is to move our business further East… And looking at emerging markets where we've doubled our share, that's been part of our strategy to move further East into Asia. And that has worked, so we've doubled our share for Asia in emerging markets passengers and that's worked for us. And that, in some measure, is the future growth of the business, if you will, as we move East. So that is part of our strategy,” he said.