Jo Rzymowska and her Celebrity Cruises team hosted the “WonderFULL” lunch with Celebrity Cruises. ITTN’s Shane Cullen joined 20 travel trade media from the length and breadth of the UK and Ireland for a thank-you lunch as Jo marks her departure from Celebrity Cruises. The venue was 34 Mayfair in London on a sunny Thursday the 20th of April.
Forget Yellow Brick Road…
Jo shared she feels she’s outdoing Elton John with her own farewell tour. Beside me, Clare Stirrup (Sales Director, Celebrity Cruises) added she’ll get her own farewell tour t-shirt to mark the season. Jo is going but has not gone yet. It’s easy to see why her team want her to stay. She is warm, smart and entertaining and has always been generous in sharing her knowledge and advice.
Speaking about the event today, “It’s really genuinely about saying thank you and, more importantly, for you to spend time with some of the team as well because as I evolve…. It’s very much about making sure that my incredible team get to know all of you more and more and as the brand evolves as well”
Despite jovial heckling from the crowd of two dozen journalists, Jo shared there was no news and she didn’t know who her successor would be (or at least, didn’t disclose to the audience). She did divulge the process was ongoing so we’ll have to wait and see.
Professional Tennis Perhaps
Jo shares, “I’ve made a decision in life – in my “phase two” of life… that I am going to evolve. I don’t know what I’m going to evolve into but Serena Williams said she was going to evolve and not retire so if I can come back as a professional tennis star, brilliant….”. I’ve little doubt Jo could find a way. With an incredible corporate career culminating in the pivotal role as Vice President & Managing Director, EMEA for Celebrity Cruises. Commendably, She has equally used her position to not just highlight but shine a beaming spotlight on what meaningful diversity and inclusion should look like and why.
The Journey to Happiness
Jo explained “I’m following the Ikigai guide which is the Japanese journey to happiness. Do what you’re good at, do what you love and do what you get paid for and do what the world needs. I’ve had an incredible corporate career and I’ve now decided that it’s about giving back, coaching, mentoring, doing things… that I love doing and with people that are incredible that are going on a journey”
I have “evolved” a few times including from a travel agent to a travel journalist. Jo was part of my journey. She was the first person I interviewed. Despite being very wet behind the ears and admitting my inexperience, she treated me with the same grace and attention as the most seasoned journalists in the room. I remain grateful and anyone who is fortunate to be mentored by her should grasp the opportunity with two hands.
Change is Afoot
There is more change at Celebrity Cruises. Lisa Lutoff-Perlo is also stepping down from being the President of Celebrity Cruises to taking up the position of Vice-Chair of External Affairs. Laura Hodges Bethge is taking over the reins from Lisa in May 2023 and will be involved in Jo’s replacement.
Leaving on a Secure Footing
In terms of Celebrity Cruises news, Jo shared “We have overall had an exceptional wave as an organisation as per our latest trading results” and added this was due to the “great support from our trade partners and from consumers loving doing what we are doing”.
She continued, “We are very proud of what we stand for as a business. We are proud of our product offering and getting Apex based here out of Southampton for next year speaks volumes. You know that really shows the commitment from us as a business but very much from the great support from consumers in love with what we do and very much from our trade partners, I can’t stress that enough”
Four Stars and a First with Forbes
She added in relation to Apex, “We don’t think, we know because Forbes told us, that she’s only one of twenty properties in the world with over 1,000 beds that have been credited with 4-star accreditation”. Adding to this accolade, Jo emphasised that this was related to properties worldwide, not just cruises. Furthermore, Apex is the first cruise line to have this accreditation.
An Apex Agent Opportunity
Apex will have over 600 agents on board this year as she travels around Europe before porting in Southampton so keep an eye out for that!
