Lisa Lutoff-Perlo to step down as Celebrity Cruises president and chief

Celebrity Cruises’ president and chief executive Lisa Lutoff-Perlo will step down from her position and take up the new role of vice-chair of external affairs for Royal Caribbean Group effective May 1.

Laura Hodges Bethge, currently executive vice-president of shared services operations, will become the next brand president of Celebrity Cruises.

Lutoff-Perlo began her career with Royal Caribbean Group in 1985 as a district sales manager and went on to “trailblaze a legacy of firsts”, the company said.

More: Celebrity Cruises launches campaign to support new-to-cruise agents

In 2005, Lutoff-Perlo became Celebrity’s first female senior vice-president of hotel operations, then in 2012 she was named executive vice-president of operations for Royal Caribbean International, becoming the first woman in the industry to oversee both hotel and marine operations.

Two years later she was the first woman appointed to president and chief executive of one of Royal Caribbean Group’s brands.

“Lisa has been instrumental in transforming the Celebrity Cruises brand to what it is today,” said Jason Liberty, president and chief executive of Royal Caribbean Group.

“From helping us introduce the revolutionary Edge-series of ships to advancing the role of women in maritime careers, Lisa has had an incredible career during her time leading Celebrity Cruises, and multiple parts of our Royal Caribbean International brand.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Lisa for almost 18 years, and I know her expertise will be invaluable as she transitions to serve as my vice-chair, external affairs.”

Lutoff-Perlo said: “It has always been difficult for me to imagine leaving the incredible Celebrity brand, but the time is right for me to start an exciting new chapter and turn the helm over to a new leader.

“It has been my great honour to lead this brand and work alongside the phenomenal Celebrity shoreside team and crew. Together, our accomplishments have been extraordinary.

“I’m excited to now work closely with Jason on broader initiatives as we sail toward an even brighter future.”

Hodges Bethge has been with the company for more than 23 years and held senior positions in several areas including product development, hotel and marine operations, sales, marketing, product innovation, market development and investor relations.

She said: “Now 15 ships strong, this is an exciting time for Celebrity Cruises.

“This year alone, we’ll be welcoming Celebrity Ascent, and reaching key construction milestones in the yet-to-be-named fifth ship in the revolutionary Edge-series.

“I look forward to building on the incredible achievements of Lisa and this world class team, as we continue to break boundaries and chart new courses in the industry.”