Dondra Ritzenthaler Named Incoming CEO For Azamara

Azamara has named Dondra Ritzenthaler as its Incoming Chief Executive Officer.

A 40-year veteran of the travel industry, Ritzenthaler was most recently the Senior Vice President of Sales, Trade Support and Services for the Americas for Celebrity Cruises.

Prior to her 20 years with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, she spent nearly 20 years with American Airlines in a number of sales and marketing leadership roles.

Ritzenthaler will begin at Azamara in May 2024. Until that time, Chair of Azamara, Dan Hanrahan, will provide day-to-day leadership and oversight of the team.

Ritzenthaler said: “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. I look forward to working with the talented team and their travel partners to better serve the customer base and grow the Azamara brand.”

Azamara also announced that Alain Ferzli is joining the company as Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately.

Ferzli has more than 20 years of significant experience driving profitable growth in the cruise industry. He served as the acting Chief Financial Officer for Virgin Voyages and in various financial leadership roles with Royal Caribbean.

Commenting on the appointments, Azamara’s Chair, Dan Hanrahan said: “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.”

Sail on over to www.azamara.com for more.