The Costa Crociere Group has announced new appointments, with effect from January 7, 2008, to support the major expansion plan following its acquisition of the Spanish brand Iberocruceros.

Costa Cruises’ current Italian Sales & Marketing Director Carlo Schiavon has been appointed Sales & Marketing Director of Iberocruceros, the Spanish cruise brand resulting from a joint venture with Orizonia Corporación, the biggest tour operator in Spain. Costa Crociere S.p.A. has a 75% stake in Iberocruceros, while Orizonia holds the balance. The Company is headquartered in Madrid and has a fleet of two ships in service and a third on order.

Following his achievements on the Italian market, Schiavon will oversee the business expansion plan for Iberocruceros, in cooperation with the minority partner.
In his new position Schiavon will be reporting to the Iberocruceros General Manager Alfredo Serrano.

Schiavon, who has been working in Costa Crociere since 1993, is Venetian, though Genoa is his adoptive home; he is 46 years old, married and has two children.

The role of Costa Cruises’ Italian Sales & Marketing Director will be filled by Andrea Tavella (from Genoa, 41 years old, married with 3 children), who has been promoted to this new role from his present position of Director of Marketing Italia. Tavella will be responsible for achieving the ambitious sales and marketing objectives for the Italian market, which accounts for more than 40% of the customers of the Italian cruise line. He will be reporting to the Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing Europe and Rest of the World, Mario Martini. Tavella is a business graduate who has been working in Costa Crociere since 1993, having successfully filled a number of positions within the Company’s Marketing Division.

The responsibility for Marketing Italia for the Costa Cruises brand is assigned to Renata Rizzo, currently Marketing Manager Italia, reporting directly to Andrea Tavella.

Renata Rizzo is Genoese and has a long experience in Costa Crociere; she will have the objective of developing further demand on the domestic market through innovative marketing plans. Ms. Rizzo is married, she has a son and she is a graduate in Modern Foreign Languages and Literature.