In celebration of International Women's Day, Celebrity Cruises announced it will make history with the first-ever sailing with an entirely female bridge and officer team.
This historic sailing will take place on International Women's Day – March 8, 2020 – aboard Celebrity Edge. Captain McCue will be at the helm and will be accompanied by 26 other women to create an all-female bridge and officer leadership team, and Celebrity's President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.
"We are all passionate about closing the gender gap," said Lutoff-Perlo. "Over the last few years, we have worked hard to diversify the crew on board and bring more women than ever into our industry. None of this could have been possible without the leadership and shared vision of the extraordinary men and women I work with every day, led by Patrik Dahlgren and Brian Abel – who take this challenge to heart and have made it possible. We are fortunate to have many incredible, experienced and beyond-qualified women who have worked tirelessly to achieve these positions. And we also celebrate the many men who continue to support them and help champion having more women crew onboard."
The below all-women bridge and leadership team for this historic sailing of Celebrity Edge represents 17 different countries, including:
- Captain Kate McCue – USA
- Staff Captain Maria Gotor – Spain
- Hotel Director Niina Hautaniemi – Finland
- Guest Relations Director Julie Sherrington – United Kingdom
- F&B Director Byliana Velikova – Bulgaria
- Senior Doctor Jennifer Bernardo – Philippines
- Cruise Director Sue Denning – United Kingdom
- Safety Officer Ionela Burduja – Romania
- Associate Hotel Director Milana Dortangs – Netherlands
- Revenue and Marketing Director Sarah Guinot – France
- HR Manager Angel George – USA
- Financial Controller Teresa de Guzman – Philippines
- Chief Housekeeper Lyudmyla Miroshnychenko – Ukraine
- Safety Investigation Officer Alexandra Villarreal – USA
- Environmental Officer Maria Karoutsou – Greece
- Chief Security Officer Mor Segev – Israel
- Chief Officer Maria Koliou – Greece
- Chief Officer Maria Agius – Malta
- Doctor Sumaya Guffar – South Africa
- First Officer Rachel Arnold – United Kingdom
- First Officer Despoina Tsairi – Greece
- Third Engineer Anna Avgoustaki – Greece
- Second Officer Nicholine Tifuh Azirh, who was the first West African woman to ever work on the bridge of a cruise ship when hired in 2017 – Cameroon
- Second Officer Ioana Tzovara – Greece
- Third Officer Esperanza Romero – Spain
- Third Officer Cassandra May Mead – New Zealand
- Apprentice Officer Gifty Adu Gyami – Ghana
As part of this one-of-a-kind sailing, Celebrity is curating unique specialty programming, including evening gallery exhibitions and art auctions featuring female artists, celebrating the female form; collaborating on an exclusive design with luxury jewelry designer Reout Kallati; hosting special events, such as a cinema series featuring iconic and impactful female directors, leads and inspirational narratives; and other dedicated onboard programming, including Women of the World-themed trivia challenges, Fearless Female Officers vs. Guests Pool Volleyball tournament, and a Q&A panel with the ship's inspiring female leadership team.
Additional specialty programming is still to be announced, including a moderated discussion panel with current confirmed special guests including artist and child prodigy Autumn de Forest and fashion designer Mary Frances; unique networking opportunities and more, all with the goal of inspiring a new generation of young girls and women to continue pushing boundaries and breaking barriers.
Matt Hochberg
Matt loves to cruise, and started Cruise.Blog as a place to share different cruise experiences, advice, and what to know before going on a cruise.
He lives in Florida with his wife and two daughters, where he can be found on any given day trying to convince his wife they "need" to book another cruise.
