Angie Stephen On Working In A Traditionally Male-Dominated Industry

We chat with one of the leading lights of tourism in the region, American Angie Stephen of Royal Caribbean, about the state of play in the cruise industry, and working in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

- Angie Stephen

Where are you from and what brought you here?

I’m originally from the US and was based in Miami, where Royal Caribbean is headquartered, for about 18 years, leading regional and national programmes. Just prior to Singapore, I’d been stationed in China for a year, where we launched Spectrum of the Seas, our first ever ship purpose-built for the Asian market. My journey then brought me here in 2018. It was the perfect opportunity to work in a growth-focused market, to support the tremendous opportunity that the cruise industry saw in the region. We moved here with our three boys, who are now aged eight, 10 and 12.

Tell us about your role at Royal Caribbean.

I’m currently the Managing Director and Vice President of Asia-Pacific at Royal Caribbean International. I oversee key brand and marketing operations, commercial and operational activities, and drive business growth and market development within the region.

Simply put, my day-to-day activities include working with distributors across Asian countries on growing the demand for cruising in the region, brainstorming with the revenue team on upcoming promotions, reviewing brand programmes and partnerships with the marketing team, and cementing the building blocks of Royal Caribbean’s five-year strategic growth plans. I also work closely with the Singapore Tourism Board on emerging Safe Management Measures (SMMs) and how our shipboard teams can flawlessly implement them while still delivering a great holiday experience for our guests.

It’s been a topsy-turvy couple of years for travel, including cruising. How has the company coped?