The well-known and well-loved cruise Donna, Dondra Ritzenthaler has been named CEO of Azamara. A 40-year veteran of the travel industry, Ritzenthaler was most recently the SVP of Sales, Trade Support and Services for the Americas for Celebrity Cruises.
As reported by Open Jaw in MAY 2023, Ritzenthaler announced her retirement from Celebrity Cruises. Upon leaving her role as SVP of Sales at Celebrity Cruises, she left the door open for a potential return to the travel industry. According to Travel Weekly, at the time of her retirement, she stated that she would "retire, re-energize, and reassess."
In January 2021, Azamara was sold by Royal Caribbean to Sycamore Partners, and created an independent brand.
Vanessa Lee, President & CEO Cruise Strategies told Open Jaw, "I have known Dondra for 20 years, since she joined Celebrity. She is one of the most authentic, principled, and dynamic women I have had the pleasure to work with. Everyone thinks equally highly of her, and I am beyond thrilled to see her return next May to lead Azamara. It's fitting for Dan Hanrahan and Dondra to work together again. He's always been a great leader with integrity and an innate understanding of the cruise business. Together they will ensure Azamara sails into a bright future. It's very exciting news!"
Prior to her 20 years with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, Dondra spent nearly 20 years with American Airlines in several sales and marketing leadership roles. Ritzenthaler will begin at Azamara in MAY 2024. Until then, the Chair of Azamara, Dan Hanrahan, will provide day-to-day leadership and oversight of the team.
"Azamara provides a unique and exciting offering within the luxury cruise space, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the company into its next chapter," said Ritzenthaler. "I look forward to working with the talented team and their travel partners to better serve the customer base and grow the Azamara brand."
In addition, Alain Ferzli will join Azamara as CFO, effective immediately. Ferzli formerly served as the acting CFO for Virgin Voyages and in various financial leadership roles with Royal Caribbean.
Hanrahan commented, "Our team has worked diligently to maintain a solid foundation for Azamara amid unique industry-wide challenges over the last several years. Dondra and Alain's deep knowledge of and experience leading cruise lines will support the shift of our focus to expanding our business and realizing Azamara's full potential."
More information on Azamara's website.
