Can you believe Ann Sherry has led Carnival Australia for over a decade now? 10 years! 520 weeks! 3,650 days! Boy, time sure does sail away quickly.
The Executive Chairman was this week praised and celebrated for her 10 years of leadership at the cruise company with a special morning tea in her honour.
A low-key gathering saw Ms Sherry congratulated for a decade’s worth of achievements, including her contribution to the booming cruise industry in Australia. She was also presented with a 10-year certificate (and hopefully a decent gift).
Image: @CarnivalAusNews/Twitter
The humble woman that she is, Ms Sherry thanked the Carnival Australia team, saying nothing can be achieved “by one person” and it’s actually a “celebration of a great team”.
“I couldn’t have done anything without your commitment and your good humour.”
Ann Sherry, Carnival Australia Chairman
“Your contribution has helped make Australia the third highest source market in the world and that is quite an achievement.”
Ann Sherry was first appointed as the Chief Executive of Carnival Australia in July 2007 when there were only around 250,000 Australians cruising every year.
Jump forward 10 years later, and the number of Aussie cruisers has exceeded over one million – a figure Sherry set for the industry and achieved five years ahead of schedule.
Under her leadership, business for the seven Carnival Australia brands has flourished – P&O Cruises Australia, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, Holland America Line, Seabourn and P&O Cruises World Cruising – and paved the way for new competitors such as Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line to enter the market.
Sherry’s colleagues thanked her for all her work, including Princess Cruises’ President Jan Swartz who applauded her for “building such a strong team in Australia”.
“On a personal note, as a woman in business you have been such an inspiration to me and to so many others,” here, here Swartz!
Stein Kruse, CEO of Holland America Group added that Sherry came into the business at a time of “challenges”, which she transformed into opportunities.
“You came in at a time when there were challenges and you set forth to make the necessary changes setting a million Australian passengers a year as the milestone and reached the target years ahead of schedule,” he said.