Celebrity Cruises has set a new benchmark in the cruise industry, announcing that one-third of its bridge officers are now women, in an industry where less than two percent of seafarers are female. And today, on International Women's Day, the brand is changing its global logo from the "X" to "XX" across its social media channels, honoring the female chromosome and celebrating all people who identify as women. This gesture symbolizes the brand's commitment to equality, advancement, and the achievements of women.
The “XX” logo is also projected onto the Celebrity Beyond, the company’s innovative ship currently under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, with a scheduled debut in April 2022, and which will be captained by Kate McCue. When McCue sails the Celebrity Beyond from the shipyard, she will become the first woman to helm a maiden voyage cruise ship, an industry honor commonly known as being the “take-out” captain.
Celebrity has made history in the maritime industry for its progressive thinking and barrier-breaking initiatives. In 2015, President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, a catalyst for change in this 200-year-old industry, appointed Captain Kate McCue as the first—and still only—female captain of an American ship, kicking off a deliberate effort by the brand to attract more women to the industry and into leadership positions across its fleet.
The cruise line further captured the world's attention on International Women's Day 2020 when the first all-female bridge officer team, led by Captain Kate, embarked on a history-making voyage aboard the award-winning Celebrity Edge. Comprised of 26 women representing 16 different countries, the all-female officer team reunited virtually on International Women's Day 2021, a year after their achievement, to reflect on the historic voyage and discuss the challenging year that followed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Subsequently, on June 26, 2021, Captain McCue returned to lead the Celebrity fleet when the Celebrity Edge became the first cruise ship to set sail with guests from a U.S. port in more than a year due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
“Looking back and seeing how far we’ve come in six years is quite extraordinary, and it speaks volumes about the leadership and shared vision of the talented men and women I work with every day,” said Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. “Now, we have incredible women from 19 countries and at every level of maritime leadership to inspire girls in this amazing industry that opens the world with the transformative power of travel. We are so proud to have been pioneers on this path and to continue this work so that everyone who dreams of a career aboard a cruise ship—whether they identify as men or women—finds a new standard on the seven seas.”
When Captain McCue takes the helm of Celebrity Beyond this spring, she will be surrounded by a nine-person team on the bridge, including four female officers: Chief Officer Rachel Arnold (UK); Second Officer Dionysia Giapappa (Greece); Third Officer Gifty Adu Gyamfi (Ghana); and Third Officer Antonina Kolodziejczyk (Poland).
