Drew Madsen appointed NCL president and COO
Norwegian Cruise Line has appointed 30-year hospitality veteran Drew Madsen as new president and COO.
Masden most recently held a similar position at Darden Restaurants, a multi-billion dollar business with a portfolio of over 1,500 restaurants, including Olive Garden and The Capital Grille brands.
He had also held senior positions at James River Corp. and General Mills.
It is a move to divest day-to-day responsibility from parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to each Norwegian brand in the wake of the company’s soon to be completed acquisition of Prestige Internationals’ Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
"Having delivered exceptional results during his tenure at Darden, Drew has a wealth of experience to draw upon as he joins Norwegian," said Kevin Sheehan, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
"With the upcoming acquisition of Prestige Cruises International, it is the opportune time to add such a talented individual to our already diversified leadership team to focus on the core day-to-day business," Sheehan added.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt