Norwegian Leadership Team Bios

Marc Kazlauskas is the Brand President of Norwegian Cruise Line. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the brand's global strategy and commercial performance and leading cross-functional teams in driving innovation and elevating the guest experience. With more than three decades in the premium and luxury sectors of the travel and tourism industry, Kazlauskas previously served as CEO of Avoya Travel, one of the largest travel companies in the U.S. and a leading travel platform and host agency. Prior to this, he served as President of FROSCH and Managing Director of Chase Travel Group, one of the world's leading travel companies with more than $11 billion in sales and a global footprint, where he led large teams, managed multi-billion-dollar operations, and oversaw key partnerships across airlines, tour operators and cruise lines. Before his time at Avoya Travel and FROSCH/Chase Travel Group, he held leadership roles at Insight Vacations, where he oversaw U.S. operations and drove triple-digit revenue and profit growth, and Tauck World Discovery, where he led worldwide sales. Kazlauskas began his travel-industry career at Orient Cruise Line, previously part of the Norwegian Cruise Line portfolio. He is a former member of the Board of Directors for Signature Travel Network and has served on advisory boards for major global airlines and travel companies.

Kiran Smith is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Norwegian Cruise Line responsible for leading the organisation's multi-channel marketing and advertising strategy overseeing all digital marketing, e-commerce, consumer insights, promotional efforts, earned media, owned media, analytics, partnerships and brand initiatives. Her approach is led by insight-driven storytelling as the core of strengthening brand positioning, increasing guest engagement, driving sustained performance and attracting new cruise audiences, whilst continuing to engage loyalists.

Twenty years of retail brand development and growth driven by multi-channel marketing, Smith's previous experience includes executive level roles across national and international consumer-focused brands, including serving as the CMO at ButcherBox, iRobot, Brookstone, and Stride Rite as well as Chief Executive Officer of Arnold Worldwide, where she led a comprehensive assessment and realignment of the agency's business model to increase profitability. Her career journey also includes experience with SUPERVALU and Shaw's Supermarkets, Alliance Consulting Group, Kraft Foods and Accenture.

Smith received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science from Bucknell University then went on to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, specialising in Marketing. In her free time, she enjoys hosting family dinners with her husband, three daughters and close friends.

John Chernesky serves as the Senior Vice President of North America Sales of Norwegian Cruise Line. He oversees the North America Sales and Trade Management teams for Norwegian Cruise Line.

Chernesky joins the Company after a thirty-year tenure in the cruise industry. He began his career with Princess Cruises, where he developed a diverse skillset through a vast range of positions across sales, hotel operations, trade marketing, onboard revenue, newbuild design, and passenger programmes.

Chernesky’s multifaceted experience in the industry and passion for the trade community is instrumental in his role as he is dedicated to prioritizing Norwegian’s Partner’s First philosophy, which is the Company’s long-standing commitment to travel advisors.

A graduate from Miami University with a bachelor's degree in marketing, Chernesky now resides in Los Angeles, with his wife and their twin sons. In his free time, he plays golf to unwind.

Michael Tomoleoni is the Chief Consumer Sales Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. He is responsible for leading the direct outbound sales organisation and the web chat sales channel.

Tomoleoni recently served as the Brand's Vice President of Consumer Sales, where his sales strategy and direct sales operation were pivotal in helping break company booking records. Under his leadership, the consumer sales division has expanded and now plays a significant part of the business.

In 2008, he started his career with NCL as a personal cruise consultant, but quickly stepped into leadership roles within the sales organisation, including Sales Team Leader, Sales Manager, and Sales Director, where he was responsible for leading 150 team members in Sawgrass, Fla.

Tomoleoni attended Barry University on an athletic scholarship and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sociology, before being drafted by the Boston Red Sox. He then went on to receive his MBA from Nova Southeastern University. Originally from the Chicago area, he now resides in sunny Fort Lauderdale with his wife, Talia, and their sons.

Mark Kansley serves as Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations of Norwegian Cruise Line and oversees all hotel operation functions that drive the onboard guest experience for the Norwegian fleet of ships. Beyond Hotel Operations, Kansley plays a crucial role in leading the delivery of newbuilds, ensuring that the latest vessels meet Norwegian's standards, and is responsible for managing entertainment and cruise programmes, delivering a world-class experience for guests. Under his leadership, the culinary team has won numerous prestigious Food and Beverage awards. Additionally, he oversees operations for Norwegian's private island, Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas, and resort style destination in Belize, Harvest Caye.

Mark Kansley first joined Norwegian Cruise Line in January 2001 as a shipboard Hotel Director and transitioned to the corporate office in 2005 as Director of Hotel Operations. Over the years, he has held various roles in the Hotel, Food & Beverage, Training, and Product Development areas, gaining diverse and extensive experience before taking on his current role as Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations.

Before joining Norwegian, Kansley worked as a Hotel Director for various cruise brands in the contemporary market, where he was responsible for managing Hotel Operations on board numerous vessels, honing his skills and knowledge of the cruise industry.

Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, where he studied Commerce at the University of Cape Town, Kansley now resides in Ocala, Fla., with his wife Clare and their son and daughter. His diverse experience, combined with his passion for hospitality, continues to drive the success of Norwegian Cruise Line's operations.

Katty Byrd is Senior Vice President of Guest Services for Norwegian Cruise Line, overseeing various service departments, including Global Trade FIT and Group Sales/Service, Resolution Desk, Guest Relations, Support Operations, Training and Development, Inbound Direct Sales, Shore Excursions and the Brand's onboard incentive CruiseNext team. Byrd also played a key leadership role in the global implementation of the Company's "Follow the Sun" initiative to provide Norwegian Cruise Line guests consistent superior customer service worldwide 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

Prior to her current role, she held various positions within the organisation including Senior Director of Onboard Sales where she oversaw the successful development of Norwegian's CruiseNext programme, increasing sales by 291 percent in only three years. Byrd also led the expansion of her Outbound Sales team, growing the departments from 12 to 300 NCL team members. Previously, she was Director of Consumer Sales, managing Inbound and Outbound Remote Consumer Sales as well as Sales Training and Development. She began her time with the organisation in 2008 as a Sales Manager for the Outbound Sales team.

Before joining NCL, Byrd served as a Sales Coach and Team Leader at Carnival Cruise Lines where she oversaw Outbound Consumer Sales. Prior to that role, Byrd was Director of Sales and Marketing with Global Rent-A-Car where she was responsible for Latin America sales and marketing.

Byrd obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from Florida International University in 2019. Currently, she is a member of All SoFla NCLH Female Executives, NCL Women In Sales Empowerment (WISE), and a mentor within the Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) mentoring programme. Originally from Cuba, Byrd now resides in Davie, Fla. with her husband of 15 years, Richard.

Jason Krimmel is the Chief International Sales and Marketing Officer, assuming responsibility for the Cruise Line's business outside of North America. He oversees the company's 11 international offices in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin-America, and Brazil, with a special focus on expanding the Brand's international footprint by optimising collaboration between regions, surfacing new sales opportunities, and driving impactful through-the-line campaigns.

Having joined Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) in 2003, Krimmel's tenure spans a couple of decades. He has held various Sales and Marketing roles, including Business Development Manager for North Texas and, subsequently, Director of Field Sales and Business Development spearheading NCL's U.S.-based Business Development Managers as well as Vice President of Trade Marketing and Engagement.

In one of his most recent roles prior to the current appointment, he served as Vice President of International Marketing and Global Creative Strategy, where he amongst others successfully led NCL’s Break Free campaign – the Brand’s most extensive international marketing campaign at the time, with TV integrations worldwide.

Originally from Philadelphia, Krimmel attended Temple University and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a Marketing Concentration.

Todd Hamilton serves as Vice President of Brand Finance and Strategy for Norwegian Cruise Line and is responsible for leading the collective budgeting, forecasting and insights associated with the brand, as well as focusing on brand-specific financial goals and initiatives.

Neil Brodie is the Vice President of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) Experiences at Sea, Charters, Meetings and Incentives (CM&I), and Events. In this role, he is responsible for the overall leadership of events, groups, and charter sales and operations for the 32-ship portfolio of NCLH vessels, which includes those of Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and Oceania Cruises, as well as Sixthman, a wholly owned subsidiary of NCL.

Prior to joining NCLH, Brodie worked in a variety of roles where he was responsible for the sales and operations for both land-based and cruise companies. In 2019, he joined NCLH as a Sales Manager before being promoted to Director and Senior Director, and now Vice President, in less than five years within the CM&I division. Under his leadership at NCLH, the Company expanded the variety of events hosted on board including for the first time partnering with the Rugby World Cup and NurseCon.

Brodie received his B.A. in Management and Marketing from the University of Miami and his M.B.A. in Management from Nova Southeastern University. Brodie resides in Miami, Fla. with his wife and child.

Mark Kansley serves as Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations of Norwegian Cruise Line and oversees all hotel operation functions that drive the onboard guest experience for the Norwegian fleet of ships. Beyond Hotel Operations, Kansley plays a crucial role in leading the delivery of newbuilds, ensuring that the latest vessels meet Norwegian's standards, and is responsible for managing entertainment and cruise programmes, delivering a world-class experience for guests. Under his leadership, the culinary team has won numerous prestigious Food and Beverage awards. Additionally, he oversees operations for Norwegian's private island, Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas, and resort style destination in Belize, Harvest Caye.

Mark Kansley first joined Norwegian Cruise Line in January 2001 as a shipboard Hotel Director and transitioned to the corporate office in 2005 as Director of Hotel Operations. Over the years, he has held various roles in the Hotel, Food & Beverage, Training, and Product Development areas, gaining diverse and extensive experience before taking on his current role as Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations.

Before joining Norwegian, Kansley worked as a Hotel Director for various cruise brands in the contemporary market, where he was responsible for managing Hotel Operations on board numerous vessels, honing his skills and knowledge of the cruise industry.

Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, where he studied Commerce at the University of Cape Town, Kansley now resides in Ocala, Fla., with his wife Clare and their son and daughter. His diverse experience, combined with his passion for hospitality, continues to drive the success of Norwegian Cruise Line's operations.