The aim of creating this new top-level position is to further strengthen the company's Geneva-based global management team.
MSC Cruises has announced a new appointment within the group, further strengthening the company's global management team, headquartered in Geneva and led by Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago and Chief Executive Officer Gianni Onorato.
Luca Biondolillo, 48, will become MSC Cruises' Director of Communications on March 2, 2015. In this newly created global role, Mr. Biondolillo, who holds both American and Italian citizenship and whose life and career have unfolded internationally over the past 25 years, will report directly to CEO Gianni Onorato.
Mr. Onorato commented: “Luca joins us at a crucial time in the company’s development, coinciding with the implementation of a €5 billion fleet expansion plan that will double our current fleet capacity by 2022, including the introduction of seven new ultra-modern ships based on two state-of-the-art prototypes.”
“2014 has also been a very significant year for MSC Cruises, and it is in this context that I am delighted to welcome Luca to the company’s senior management team. His profile is a perfect fit for MSC, given his experience working in both private and publicly traded multinational corporations as well as family-owned companies. His leadership in the area of communications will be key to maintaining the excellent reputation built over 300 years in the cruise industry.”
Having most recently served as Director of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at The Benetton Group, the parent company of United Colors of Benetton and other leading global fashion brands, Mr. Biondolillo has nearly 20 years of experience in communications at multinational companies, covering corporate, financial, and sustainability aspects. Luca Biondolillo is also Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Brussels-based European Association of Communication Directors (EACD).
Mr. Biondolillo, who has developed his career in Europe, America, Africa, and Asia, brings extensive experience in various communication disciplines, including global reputation management, corporate social responsibility communication, and crisis communication management. He has led and managed communications for both publicly traded companies and private multinationals in diverse sectors such as fashion, luxury goods, food, consumer goods manufacturing, retail, transportation, automotive, and high technology, among others.
In addition, Mr. Biondolillo also has extensive experience in the financial side of communications. From 1995 to 2003, he managed relations with the financial and business media as a senior executive and team leader at some of the world's leading consulting firms based in New York. He has also managed communications for several multinational companies in various stock market transactions, primarily in the United States, but also in Europe and Asia. Furthermore, in 2004, Mr. Biondolillo led financial and corporate communications for the Luxottica Group (listed on the NYSE and the Milan Stock Exchange), which generates over €7 billion in annual net sales, has 73,000 employees, and operates in 130 countries, positioning itself as a global leader in the high-end eyewear sector.
