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Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional

June 2013 Edition

Bob Dickinson Retired Carnival Cruise Lines CEO back as consultant

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Bob Dickinson, who retired as President and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines in 2007, is now working as a consultant to parent company Carnival Corp. After several months of instability, the world’s largest cruise ship company is bringing back a familiar face.

Bob Dickinson, who retired as president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines in 2007 after a 35-year career with the line, has entered into a consulting agreement with parent company Carnival Corp.

In an interview with the Miami Herald, Dickinson said his initial assignment would be to examine travel agent relationships with the company’s North American brands: Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Seabourn Cruise Line. His role will include studying agent perceptions of the brands compared to perceptions of their competitors, cooperation between brands and agents and best practices.

“Because I’m not tied to any one brand, I have sort of a 30,000-foot look at it; I can be very, very objective,” said Dickinson, 70. “It may be difficult for a brand to say ‘Gee, I made a mistake’ or ‘Gosh, I should have seen that and I didn’t,’ or ‘Gosh, maybe this strategy was the wrong one.’”

While he acknowledged that “there will be egos involved, obviously,” Dickinson said his job will be simply to present solid facts and leave the action up to managers. “It’s not meant to be an adversarial effort, it’s meant to be a collaborative effort,” he said.

The Miami-based cruise operator did not make any executives available for interviews Monday, but said in a statement that Dickinson will report to Carnival Corp. Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer Howard Frank.

Dickinson served on the parent company’s corporate board from 1987 until April, when he reluctantly did not stand for reelection. The reason, he said, was that in the UK, where the stock is also traded, he was not considered an “independent” director because of his long history with the cruise line. But he didn’t want to leave the industry, so Dickinson said he and Frank started talking about other possible roles.

The consultancy agreement, effective June 1, is for one year but can be renewed, Dickinson said.