New Holland America Line President is Named

Carnival Corporation has announced two moves within its leadership team — the new president of Holland America Line and the new chief operations officer for Carnival Cruise Line.

Gus Antorcha, the current COO for Carnival Cruise Line, has been named president of Holland America Line, effective immediately. Antorcha will report directly to Stein Kruse, group CEO of Holland America Group and Carnival UK.

Neil Palomba, currently president of Costa Cruises, has been named executive vice president and chief operations officer for Carnival Cruise Line, also effective immediately. He will report directly to Carnival Cruise Line’s president, Christine Duffy. During Palomba’s transition, the Costa Cruises leadership team will continue to report to Michael Thamm, CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia. 

"As part of our ongoing efforts to continue enhancing our global operations, these moves clearly demonstrate the depth and strength of our leadership team," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. "We are using this pause in guest operations to evaluate every aspect of our business, including our leadership structures, and make changes where appropriate to improve our business. Gus and Neil are both proven and strategic leaders within our organization, and we are looking forward to their contributions and success in these new roles as we position our company and our brands for a bright future."

As an industry veteran with over nine years of service at Carnival Cruise Line, Antorcha joins Holland America as president after holding several key leadership roles supporting Carnival’s continued growth and popularity amongst cruisers. Prior to becoming chief operations officer, Antorcha served as Carnival Cruise Line’s executive vice president, guest services, responsible for onboard operations, and senior vice president, guest commerce. He previously served as a partner and managing director for Boston Consulting Group. 

Palomba assumes the role of chief operations officer for Carnival Corporation’s largest brand, Carnival Cruise Line. In this role, he will oversee all hotel operations, guest services, guest commerce, and guest care. Since February 2015, Palomba has led Costa Cruises, with responsibility for managing all aspects of the brand. Prior to becoming Costa’s president, he served as the brand’s senior vice president, hotel operations and guest experience. Previously, he held multiple leadership positions in the cruise industry, working up to corporate operating officer for MSC Cruises following multiple onshore and onboard roles.