Meet the 2022 Judging Panel

 

Our independent panel of judges is made up of 13 leading voices from across the international cruise community. Drawing on expertise in key sectors including operations, hospitality, technology and marketing they have many years of experience to draw upon when developing the Seatrade Cruise Awards shortlist.

Discover more about our judging panel below including their top tips for success!

Per Bjornsen

Managing Director, V.Ships Leisure

Ted Blamey

Principal, CHART Management Consultants

Claus Bødker

Director, Cruise Baltic

Per has had a career of over 25 years dedicated to the cruise industry. Holding key roles at V.Ships Leisure in Monaco before his appointment as Managing Director in 2015, Per has been instrumental in the development of the market leading global ship and hotel management partner for the cruise industry.

A cruise industry pioneer and leader, over a 40-year career Ted has served as major cruise line President & CEO, Port Authority Chair, retail travel giant CEO and, since founding CHART Management Consultants in 1997, strategist, adviser, analyst and commentator on our industry.

The 2017 Honouree to the CLIA AU Hall of Fame, Visiting Fellow of the Seatrade Academy and a member of cruise industry bodies in Asia, he is a regular speaker and moderator at Seatrade and the major cruise conferences.

Claus Bødker joined Cruise Baltic and Cruise Copenhagen Network in May 2014. He came from a position as CEO in a subsidiary to the National Lottery in Denmark. In addition to the above, brings with him 14 years of experience from the travel industry from companies such as KILROY travels, Thomas Cook and Hertz Denmark, where he was CEO.
What makes a winning entry?

"I look principally for: value to the industry as a whole (rather than to the candidate per se); value to the cruise consumer; true innovation; results achieved; and how closely the submission addresses the award criteria. I also rate current year projects higher than ones which express aspirations yet to be achieved or were completed in previous years."

Ted Blamey, 2021 Judging Panellist

Andrew Coggins

Cruise Industry Analyst, Clinical Professor, Management & Management Science Department- Lubin School of Business, Pace University, New York

Michelle Fee

Chief Executive Officer, Cruise Planners an American Express Travel Representative

Liz Gammon

Consultant, LizGammon.com

Andrew O. Coggins, Jr. is a Professor of Management in Lubin School of Business, Pace University. His Ph.D. dissertation on “What makes a passenger ship a legend?’ won the 2006 ITB “Best International Paper Award.” He has studied the cruise industry and attended Seatrade cruise events worldwide since 1993. A retired USN Surface Warfare Commander, he teaches Business, Hospitality & Tourism, and Cruise Line Management courses.
Michelle is a devoted advocate for Cruise Planners® travel advisors, sitting on the advisory boards of Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises and the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), as well as the Executive Forum for Carnival Cruise Lines. Since 1994, Michelle Fee has led Cruise Planners, ensuring franchise owners have the technology, marketing, and training they need to be the best in the industry.

In a career that has spanned more than twenty years, Liz Gammon is considered by many to have played a major part in the successful development of the cruise industry in Iceland; playing matchmaker to ports and cruise lines, crafting sustainable, award-winning land programmes and creating innovative and unique marketing strategies. 

Since starting out as an independent consultant in 2016, she has developed into something of a multidimensional maverick. One day might see her assisting an expedition cruise line with their itinerary plans and sourcing zodiac landing sites in the Arctic. Whilst another might see her working on a social media strategy for a high-profile cruise port association - or perhaps delving into food experiences in the Caribbean. 

Aimilia A. Papachristou

Secretary General of MedCruise

Roberta Jacoby

Global Hospitality & Travel Operations Executive, Jacoby Advisors

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Aimilia served as senior project manager at MedCruise (2013-2018) and Interim Secretary General (2017-2018), contributing to the re-profiling of the Association. From 2018 until 2020, Aimilia was a business consultant on cruise-rail integration in Travel Bureau of the Passenger Services Department of TRAINOSE S.A., the rail company in Greece, returning to MedCruise as Secretary General since November 2020.

Before joining MedCruise, Aimilia had been senior advisor to the Secretary General of Ports and Port Policy, at the Ministry of Development Competitiveness and Shipping of the Hellenic Republic (2011-2012).

Today, Aimilia is a scientific partner of the consulting company Ports & Shipping Advisory since its establishment in 2016.

Served as key member of the executive leadership team of the two largest world cruise brands, Royal Caribbean Group and Carnival Corporation, both publicly traded companies. 

Respected as a transformational leader in disciplined multi-unit operations, destination development and sustainability. Equally well versed in mass market and luxury, with global and multi-generational experience. Skillfully navigates teams through intense crises. Record of serving as a dedicated mentor by identifying and coaching high potential employees to exceptional levels of achievement and growth. 

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's
significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created
and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

What makes a winning entry?

"A winning entry should make a unique problem solving contribution to the industry ."

Andrew Coggins, 2021 Judging Panellist

Marie-Caroline Laurent

Director General, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Europe 

Jens Skrede

Managing Director, Cruise Europe 

Ingo Soerensen

Area VP Global Cruise Sales, Oracle Hospitality

As Director General of CLIA in Europe, Marie-Caroline Laurent is leading industry engagement with EU Institutions, European countries, and the wider cruise community in support of policies and practices that foster secure, healthy, and sustainable cruising. Marie-Caroline is a transport policy expert who, prior to joining CLIA in November 2021, has worked in leadership roles at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for nearly a decade, including serving as Assistant Director for EU Affairs. 

Her roles included providing strategic advice to governmental agencies on travel and security innovation. Previously, Marie-Caroline worked in policy development for the Association of European Airlines, where her responsibilities included policy development and representation of the airlines’ interest in the field of aviation security, as well as insurance policies, border controls and passenger data. She has also served as a parliamentary adviser at the European Parliament and as senior policy officer at the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU.

Jens Chr. Skrede has worked in the leisure industry since 1990. After graduating at the Sogn & Fjordane University College he went to Germany to work for small tour operator Fjordtra in Essen. Returning to Norway he went on to establish the regional tourism board for Nordfjord, Destination Stryn & Nordfjord. He was promoted to managing director in 1999 and stayed in this position until 2010. He was vital in establishing the cruise network in the Nordfjord region. In this period he was also chairman of Sogn & Fjordane Tourism Board and served at the board of directors at Fjord Norway.  

Since October 2010 he has been the managing director of Cruise Europe. He works out of the small town Stryn in Western Norway, where he also lives with his wife and 2 daughters. Outside of work, Jens is a passionate supporter of Manchester City, loves food, wine, mountains, hunting and literature. 

Born in Hamburg, Germany, Ingo started his career, working in Rooms division in 5* Hotels in Germany and in the US. In his 20 years in the Cruise industry he held various positions at Oracle Hospitality Cruise, formerly known as Fidelio Cruise Software. With a strong background in Operations and IT, he is now leading the global Sales department at Oracle Hospitality Cruise as Area Vice President. Oracle is providing Point-of Sale, Property- and Fleet Management Software to the Cruise Industry.

Terry Thornton

Cruise Expert

John Delaney

Former President, Windstar Cruises

Joost van Ree

Global Cruise Director, Ocean Technologies Group

Terry Thornton's career in the cruise industry spanned over 43 years with 33 years of service to the Carnival Cruise Line.  Before joining Carnival, he held finance and marketing positions with Norwegian Cruise Line, Sea Goddess Cruises Limited and Windstar Sail Cruises. 

Senior positions in marketing, distribution, fleet deployment, revenue management and port / nautical operations were all part of Thornton's contributions to building Carnival into the largest and most successful brand in the cruise industry. 

John Delaney has more than thirty years of experience in leadership roles in the hospitality and cruise industry including President of Windstar Cruises, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing & Sales for Seabourn Cruise Line, Vice President of Revenue Marketing for Holland America Line, and Director of
Special Projects for Carnival Corporation.

Prior to his cruise experience, he held senior roles at The Walt Disney Company and The Cheesecake Factory Restaurant Group. In addition, he has served on various non-profit Board of Directors including the Seattle Symphony and the Pike Place Market Foundation, and currently serves on the board of directors of The Seattle Aquarium and New York based Reach the World. He also serves on the College of Hospitality Advisory Board for California State University at Long Beach.

Joost van Ree brings years of experience in the cruise industry to fruition in his current role as Group Business Development Director at Ocean Technologies Group. After ending his career at sea, Joost worked in higher management and Director positions at companies such as Norfolkline and the Rotterdam Pilot Association. In 2016 he co-founded Simwave, a state-of-the-art Simulator Center situated in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 4 years ago, Joost joined CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) as Director, Partner Relations. He held this position until he recently joined OTG.  

With good humor, professional skills, in- depth
knowledge and a positive attitude, Joost knows how to inspire and motivate his network, partners and other stakeholders in the global cruise industry.

Entries are now closed!

Thank you to everyone who submitted their application for this years awards.Meet this year's finalists here. Winners will be announced during Seatrade Cruise Med on 14 September, Málaga, Spain