‘We give people memories of a lifetime’

As vice president and managing director of Celebrity Cruises Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Jo Rzymowska combines her passions for travel and languages.

There’s nothing better than being at sea, watching the sun set into the ocean and listening to the sound of the waves. I love waking up in a new place, somewhere totally different to the night before, and feeling the real grass lawn on board one of our ships.

I was raised in London by a German mother, a language teacher, and a Polish father, an electrical engineer. Cruising felt out of reach, but we did travel to the south of France and I loved discovering new cultures.

I knew I wanted to work in the travel industry from a young age – it would allow me to go overseas and use my

German, French and Spanish language skills. So I did a degree in business studies, travel and tourism at Thames Valley University and got a job as a holiday rep in Mallorca in the summer.

My time as a rep fuelled my love of travel and I worked my way up in the industry. I became Thomas Cook’s European marketing manager, living in Paris, then worked for Disney back in London. I also had a stint in the 1990s working for a start-up, selling package holidays online. The website didn’t make it, but it was a great learning curve.

In 2004, I was back at Disney as VP of sales and marketing for the theme parks when I was introduced to a contact at Royal Caribbean Group, parent company of Celebrity Cruises. It

I wanted to work in the travel industry from a young age

sounded fascinating, so I joined the group as sales and marketing director, UK & Ireland. That’s when I fell in love with travelling on a ship. Two years ago, I took the helm at Celebrity Cruises, overseeing its operation across EMEA and leading a team of 100 people. In usual times, I travel constantly and every day is different: one day I could be talking to guests and the next, I could be liaising with travel partners around the world.

Celebrity Cruises operates a fleet of 15 vessels, the largest carrying up to 3,000 guests. Before Covid, more than 1m people would board our ships every year to experience the Galápagos, Asia, Alaska, or sail closer to home around the Greek Islands. These trips give people memories of a lifetime.

When the pandemic began to unfold, I was working in Miami. It was challenging having to quickly bring home the guests and crew who were at sea. Back in the UK, we moved from our head office to our homes within 24 hours and quickly adapted to a new way of working.

Our ships finally get back on the water this month. Initially, we’re sending our ship Celebrity Silhouette around the British Isles. We’ll be sailing with fully vaccinated guests and crew and at a lower occupancy to allow for social distancing. But what will be the same is the sound of the ocean waves, the sunsets, the cut grass on the top deck and the magical holiday experience.

For more, go to celebritycruises.com