Rubén Rodríguez has been appointed CEO of MSC Group’s North America cruise division.
He will oversee MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys in the region.
Previously, it had been announced that Rodriguez (pictured) — who’s been leading MSC Cruises USA — would be retiring in May when Executive Vice President and CCO/Chief Commercial Officer, Lynn Torrent became president of the North American business.
In his new position, Rodriguez will work under the guidance of Gianni Onorato, global CEO of MSC Cruises, and Anna Nash, global President of Explora Journeys.
He will also work with each brand’s respective North American heads — Torrent at MSC and Chris Austin, President, Explora Journeys, North & Central America.
MSC said this new North American leadership structure will support the cruise division’s continued growth in one of its most important markets.
“In his role as president of MSC Cruises USA, Rubén achieved significant business results and laid the groundwork for growth and as such, he was the natural choice to take on this newly created role,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, cruise division, MSC Group.
“We are building a new organisation that will better service the needs of our trade partners and consumers, maximise the performance of the two brands with their distinct offerings and strengthen our presence in North America,” he added.
This year will be a pivotal one for MSC Cruises in North America with the introduction of its new flagship ‘MSC World America’ into the market, which was named on 9th April during the festivities at MSC’s new PortMiami facility, the world’s largest cruise terminal.
Later in the year MSC Cruises will begin operating from Galveston for the first time, followed by the addition of Alaskan cruises from Seattle in the summer 2026.
In addition, MSC Group is consolidating its South Florida cargo and cruise offices into a new $100 mill headquarters in Miami.
MSC Cargo, whose US headquarters continues to be in New York, has had a Miami-Dade County office for more than 25 years and will now be joined by MSC cruise division’s North American headquarters.
MSC Cruises said it is also keeping a presence in Fort Lauderdale and expanding with a new facility to mainly house the contact centre and undertake back office functions.
