Carnival Corp. & plc has appointed Costa Cruises Chairman Pier Luigi Foschi to oversee the company’s growing business in Asia. Foschi, who retired as CEO of Costa in July, will continue in his current role of chairman and a managing director of the Costa group and as a member of the board of directors of Carnival Corp. & plc.

As chairman and CEO of the new Carnival Asia unit, Foschi will be responsible for establishing new corporate offices in Singapore and guiding the organization’s operating units in Asia. Currently, Carnival’s Asia operations include two Costa ships based in China and Singapore and Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess, which start sailing from Japan next spring.

Foschi has experience in the Asian marketplace, overseeing Costa’s initial entry into the region in 2006, and has maintained relationships with local government and tourism officials.  Additionally, prior to joining Costa, Foschi lived in Hong Kong and Singapore for many years while serving as executive vice president of Pacific-Asia operations for the Otis Elevator Company.

“With Asia such an important part of our global strategy, it’s critical that we increase our presence in the region by establishing this new office in Singapore and appointing an experienced executive to coordinate our current operations and our future expansion efforts,” said Micky Arison, Carnival chairman and CEO. “Pier is the ideal candidate for this new role and considering that his responsibilities at Costa are winding down, we are delighted that he agreed to oversee our growth strategies in this emerging cruise region.”