Neil, a 34-year-old Italian, joined Costa Crociere as Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations and Passenger Experience in early January 2014. In just one year, under Neil's leadership, Costa achieved numerous improvements in the onboard passenger experience. Together with his team, he made a substantial contribution to the success of the new flagship, the Costa Diadema, built by Fincantieri in Italy, which entered service at the end of October 2014.
Furthermore, he has played a key role in developing Costa's new positioning, based on the concept of offering The Best of Italy, also implementing agreements with renowned Italian brands such as Illy, Barilla, Agrimontana, Luigi Biasetto, and Guido Gobino. Neil and his team's contribution also extended to Costa neoCollection, the new slow-cruising style launched by Costa aboard its smaller ships, as well as significant innovations in food and beverage, onboard entertainment, and new products designed to engage passengers. Neil is innovative and energetic, passionate and success-oriented. In his new role, he will lead the organization to ensure a profitable future by delivering innovative, customer-focused solutions with passion, style, and quality.
Prior to joining Costa, Neil gained extensive experience in the cruise industry, beginning in 1996 with MSC Cruises. He held various onboard positions and became Project Manager for the New Builds department in 2001, responsible for coordinating all departments involved in new ship construction projects. In 2006, Neil was appointed Chief Operating Officer of MSC's Sales and Marketing office in Fort Lauderdale, overseeing the US, Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico. In 2010, he was appointed Corporate Operating Officer based in Geneva, with the strategic objective of optimizing profitability by establishing performance metrics and developing new destinations, including overseeing all operations in South Africa.
From 2010 to 2013, he was also Chairman of the Ports and Infrastructure Subcommittee of the European Cruise Council, representing the main European shipping companies (now CLIA Europe).
