After nearly half a century of making his mark on the maritime world, Vice Admiral (Ret) William (Bill) Burke has retired.
“Much like our ships at sea, I work every day. And I felt now was the time to take a break,” he said.
Burke joined Carnival Corp in 2013 as Chief Maritime Officer, bringing with him a legacy of leadership forged beneath the waves as a submariner before rising to the top of the US Navy.
“I’ve had the privilege of commanding a submarine, leading a squadron of submarines and overseeing a task force of ships. As an Admiral, I also had the opportunity to lead four different organisations,” he said.
“My role at Carnival Corp has been the perfect way to round out my career – blending my passion for staying closely connected to our mariners and the fleet with the leadership experience I gained over 35 years in the military, inspiring teams to operate safely, sustainably and with excellence across a global operation,” he said.
With Carnival, Burke introduced enhanced safety protocols, launched and expanded fleetwide training programmes and led the charge on environmental innovation.
Under his leadership, the group pioneered LNG-powered ships, standardised and fortified the company’s Maritime Policy & Compliance practices and systems, and strengthened ties with global maritime authorities.
He also helped spearhead Carnival Corp’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, co-ordinating ship and crew repatriations across 100 plus countries and developing on board crew and guest wellness frameworks in collaboration with global health authorities.
From 2021 onward, he championed the company’s carbon reduction strategy and the Maritime De-carbonisation Initiative, aligning the company with the IMO’s 2030 and 2050 goals.
After more than a decade as Carnival’s CMO, he recently transitioned to the role of External Affairs Adviser, as Lars Ljoen took the helm as the company’s new CMO.
“I’ve got seven grandsons who still think I’m pretty cool, and I want to hang out with those guys while they have time for me,” said Burke.
“To my friends at Carnival Corp, including the tens of thousands of men and women in the fleet, thank you.”
