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.