Carnival Corporation today announced that Renata Ribeiro, currently senior vice president strategic operations and a member of its senior leadership team, will additionally assume the responsibilities for the company’s global port and destination development operations, effective June 1, 2022, according to a press release.

Giora Israel, who has led global port and destination development for 14 years will transition to a new role as senior advisor to the company.

Israel will remain active in providing strategic policy and operational guidance to Ribeiro and the leadership team.

Throughout the years, Carnival Corporation has made significant investments in approximately 40 different port projects worldwide, according to a statement. 

Ribeiro takes over responsibility for managing worldwide port and destination strategic opportunities for Carnival Corporation and its nine brands, and will be leading a  global team focused on building and maintaining strong partnerships with local ports, governments, businesses and communities to help cultivate destination and itinerary options popular with cruise guests.

A 14-year veteran of Carnival Corporation, for the last two years Ribeiro has been senior vice president overseeing operations strategy for the corporation, managing strategic business transformation and operational initiatives.

During that time, Ribeiro played a leadership role in the operational restart of the company’s cruise line brands after an extended pandemic-related pause, the company said.

She was instrumental in re-establishing access to key global ports, including helping Carnival Corporation and its brands navigate complex and dynamic travel restrictions and protocols around the world.

Ribeiro also has been leading efforts to optimize the global bandwidth connectivity footprint for the corporation’s fleet around the world.

“Renata has the perfect combination of global operations experience and strategic management consulting expertise, making her the ideal leader to continue advancing our involvement in ports and destinations, including many of the more than 700 ports worldwide we already visit,” said Josh Weinstein, chief operations officer for Carnival Corporation.

“With her proven leadership record across various commercial and operational roles, and her exceptional talent for seizing new opportunities, Renata will be invaluable in helping us extend our legacy of global port development that diversify our cruise offerings and enhance the overall vacation experience for our guests, while creating positive economic impacts in the local communities we visit and serve around the world.”

Ribeiro will support a  group of leaders in port development and operations including:

• David Candib, VP Global Ports and Destinations Development, who leads the company’s port and destination development initiatives in the Americas region, and oversees six company-operated ports in the Americas
• Michel Nestour, VP, EuroMed Port Development, who leads our port development and operations in the EuroMed region and the Arabian Gulf
• Marie McKenzie, VP, Global Ports & Carib Government Relations, who leads government relations in the Caribbean and Central America
• Gisella Mazzilli, VP, Finance & Accounting, the Global Ports and Destinations Group CFO

As Ribeiro takes the helm of global port and destination development, her predecessor, Israel, will transition into his new role as a senior advisor for the company to provide strategic policy and operational insights to leadership, and support to Ribeiro as she takes on this new role.

“Giora is a true industry legend who has been at the forefront of shaping and innovating cruising for more than three decades, which has played a key role in cruising becoming one of the world’s most popular vacation options,” said Weinstein. “His impact is most broadly felt in his tremendous body of work during his remarkable 30-year career with Carnival Corporation, particularly in his leadership developing and expanding ports and destinations around the globe. While Giora is stepping away from day-to-day port and destination development, we are very fortunate to have access to his tremendous expertise and knowledge as he takes on his new senior advisor role with Carnival Corporation.”

Israel has helped advance the cruise industry in every major global region, leading key port and destination development projects.

Among his accomplishments, Israel was the driving force behind some of the company’s iconic and innovative cruise port projects and developments, including Long Beach Cruise Terminal, Cozumel Cruise Terminal, Grand Turk Cruise Center, Mahogany Bay, Amber Cove and the HELIX cruise center in Barcelona, in addition to the new Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal, the first dedicated twin-terminal cruise port in the region.

Prior to her role with Carnival Corporation, Ribeiro worked for 12 years at the Carnival Cruise Line brand, most recently as senior vice president for destination development for a broad portfolio of Caribbean destinations, overseeing innovation and product development in partnership with Carnival Corporation’s global port and destination development group. She also served as senior vice president of guest commerce, managing the line’s onboard revenue businesses after working for six years as vice president of fleet deployment and demand strategy. Ribeiro joined Carnival Cruise Line in 2008 as a senior director in guest experience innovation.

Previously, Ribeiro worked for one of Brazil’s largest cosmetics company, Natura & Co., as the director of commercial innovation and international expansion, leading the company’s international expansion in Europe and the U.S. She began her career as a strategic management consultant, working for more than 10 years at The Boston Consulting Group and Strategy & Co. and specializing in strategy, business development and operations.

Ribeiro serves on the board of directors for the Ashtead Group plc, a British equipment rental company. She earned her Master of Business Administration degree from the Wake Forest University School of Business where she received the Luther Award for the best international student. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Fundacao Getulio Vargas in Sao Paulo, Brazil.