On The Road With Lisa Lutoff-Perlo

For the dynamic CEO of Celebrity Cruises, advocacy and travel leadership go hand in hand

- Gretchen Kelly

Business Traveler is on the road with prominent business travelers to find out how their journeys shape their lives – and the world around them. This month we sat down with Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, Celebrity Cruises' dynamic CEO. When not breaking through glass ceilings and helping others to do the same (she’s a prominent advocate for women ship captains at Celebrity and throughout the industry) Lutoff-Perlo is on the road herself, traveling for Celebrity, launching ships, and encouraging inclusiveness and diversity in the travel industry.

Appointed President and CEO in December 2014, Lutoff-Perlo leads the multi-billion-dollar brand with 13 ships sailing to 300-plus ports worldwide. Lutoff-Perlo also heads Royal Caribbean Cruises’ (RCL) Global Marine Organization, ensuring that the corporation’s $30-billion fleet of 59 ships run efficiently across all RCL brands for 6 million guests a year. She is the first woman in the industry to do so.

A champion for education, diversity, and inclusion, Lutoff-Perlo has challenged the conversation around cultural and gender equality in the maritime industry. She's helmed important initiatives to raise the percentage of female officers on the bridge and landside, including hiring the first female American captain, the first female African bridge officer, and the first female Ecuadorian captain.

Under Lutoff-Perlo's leadership, Celebrity Cruises has partnered with a number of organizations in the areas of girl’s education (Malala Fund and Global Girls Alliance), sustainability and the environment (World Wildlife Fund), STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Columbia University, FIU, NSU and University of Miami), gender equality, service excellence (Forbes Travel Guide), and expanding the footprint of women in the maritime industry.