In a continued effort to strengthen its commercial operations
and increase its level of business, Italian cruise line Costa
Cruises has announced an evolution of its commercial structure.
With the aim of ensuring greater value and in the context of
an important growth of the commercial area, Francesco Muglia has taken on the
new role of chief commercial officer. His global scope responsibilities include
marketing, communication, trade marketing, sales and onboard revenues.
Reporting directly to Muglia, Luigi Stefanelli is taking on
the new role of vice president worldwide sales. He will be responsible for
Costa’s commercial activities in the Southern Europe market region (Italy,
France, Spain, Portugal) which he will continue to manage directly, as well as
DACH (Germany, Switzerland, Austria), the Americas (North and South America),
and International Markets (Northern and Eastern Europe and emerging markets).
“I am thrilled about Luigi’s appointment following his
excellent work in the main source markets,” said Muglia. “Luigi is a key
partner in defining
the commercial strategy and I am convinced he can give a great boost to
Costa's commercial development and the execution of our strategy.”
Stefanelli, who hails from Naples, Italy, joined Costa in 2012
in the pricing and revenue management department. Since then, he has held
increasingly responsible roles in various countries where the company operates.
He first served as business development and pricing director for the Asia
Pacific and Australia region, spending three years in Shanghai, China.
Upon returning to Europe, he became general manager for the
Costa and AIDA brands in Austria and Switzerland, and later general manager for
Central Europe. Since 2019, he has gradually taken on responsibilities for
Spain, Portugal, France and Italy, becoming associate vice president for the
Southern Europe region in 2023.
“I am deeply honored by this new appointment and look
forward to achieving excellent results with a fantastic team of professionals,
contributing together to Costa’s success,” said Stefanelli.
He added, “Over the years, my experience in various
countries allowed me to develop a broad commercial vision, based on a deep
understanding of different markets and their distribution systems.”
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