Simone Maraschi, Managing Director of Cruise Gate Hamburg, has been elected as the new Chairman of Cruise Europe, the association of European cruise ports.
With his many years of experience, Maraschi will bring “a fresh perspective and forward-looking vision” to the association, according to a recent press release from Cruise Gate Hamburg.
Maraschi succeeds Michael McCarthy at Cruise Europe. The association thanked the former chairman for his “outstanding leadership over the past twelve years” and “his tireless commitment and dedication to the association”. Under his leadership, Cruise Europe has achieved significant success and cemented the association’s position as a key player in the global cruise community.
Maraschi succeeds McCarthy
The number of members increased significantly during his tenure, as Jens Skrede, Managing Director of Cruise Europe, emphasised: “Slowly but steadily, we implemented changes to win back port members who had left us – such as Southampton, Hamburg, Reykjavik, Tromsø or Bordeaux.” Today, twelve years later, we can proudly say that the recruitment offensive was successful. Under McCarthy’s chairmanship, the number of members has risen from less than 90 to almost 150.
Maraschi announced that he would work to promote cooperation between ports and cruise lines to ensure a sustainable and successful future for the industry. The new Chairman is the Managing Director of Cruise Gate Hamburg GmbH, the operator of the cruise terminals in Hamburg. At European level, his expertise will help drive innovation and promote new technologies and practices that minimise the impact on the environment and climate, while creating a balance that benefits all stakeholders – ports, cruise lines and destinations.
Simone Maraschi was elected during Cruise Europe’s annual conference in Stockholm. The association, founded in 1991 with 27 members as the first cruise industry network in Europe, has since grown to around 140 members in over 20 countries.
