Carol Cabezas

PRESIDENT

Carol Cabezas is the President of Azamara, an upmarket vacation company focused on Destination Immersion experiences. Carol joined Azamara in 2017 as the Chief Operations Officer taking on responsibility for the full range of operations in the brand including Sales, Marketing, Revenue, Finance, Deployment and Shipboard Operations. Prior to joining Azamara, Carol was the Investor Relations Officer for Royal Caribbean Group, managing relationships with the global investor and analyst community. Carol joined Royal Caribbean Group in 2000 and since that time has held a variety of leadership roles across Sales, Finance and Revenue Management. As the associate vice president of National and Strategic Accounts, North America for Celebrity Cruises, Carol was accountable for the development of business opportunities with national consortia, key strategic trade partners, and the continued success of the Home-based channel. As director of Sales Planning and Strategy for Celebrity Sales she was charged with the development and implementation of national promotional campaigns, trade compensation, business analysis and strategy, financial planning, and automation tools for trade and field sales. Prior to her career at Royal Caribbean Group, Carol was an Associate Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Dispute Analysis and Corporate Recovery team. Carol holds a Master’s in finance from University of Miami and Bachelor’s degrees in finance and Accounting from Stern School of Business at New York University. Carol lives in Coral Gables, Florida, with her husband Francisco and their two children.

Francisco Mallmann

CHIEF STRATEGY & FINANCIAL OFFICER

Francisco Mallmann is Chief Strategy Officer & Chief Financial Officer for Azamara. He has been with the company since 2010 and oversees the brand’s Strategic Planning, Finance, Treasury, Accounting, Revenue Management, Onboard Revenue, Business Intelligence, and Itinerary Planning functions. Mallmann began his career in finance in the telecommunications industry before transitioning to the cruise sector, where he worked for Celebrity Cruises before transitioning to Azamara. Mallmann was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and grew up in Argentina and Uruguay. He attended Bentley University in Boston where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics/Finance with a minor in French. He currently holds double Master’s degrees: an MBA from Bentley University and a Master’s in Finance from Florida International University. Mallmann lives in Surfside, Florida with his wife, Melissa, and sons, Luca and Leo.

Laura Krejci

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE & INFORMATION OFFICER

Laura Krejci is the Chief Administrative and Information Officer at Azamara where she leads the development and growth of the brand’s shared service teams including HR, Tax, Legal, IT, Risk and Supply Chain. Laura joined Azamara as Chief Information Officer in June 2021. She was previously Senior Vice President of Technology at Chico’s FAS, where Laura’s key responsibilities included leading the development and execution of technology and digital strategies. During her time at Chico’s FAS she delivered world class technology and analytics services that promoted business growth through continuous improvement, innovation and talent excellence. Since April 2003, Laura held multiple technology leadership roles within Chico’s FAS, specializing in the areas of Technology, Digital Commerce and other business functions. Laura holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Decision and Information Sciences from the University of Florida and is an autonomous presenter of technology and business content to the travel and retail community. Additionally, Laura is an active member of the Board of Advisors for Supply Chain Management at the University of Florida. She also served as the 2020 Southwest Florida Chair of the American Heart Association for the Go Red for Women Movement.

Scott Daniels

HEAD OF HOTEL OPERATIONS

Scott has been with Azamara since 2008, when he first joined the Quest as Food & Beverage Manager. He spent time on both vessels before settling on the Journey as Food & Beverage Manager and then Hotel Director for several years. In 2012, he accepted a temporary ship-to-shore assignment to support both the shoreside team and the ships for an upcoming refurbishment, and has been a part of the shoreside Hotel Operations team since then. Scott is thrilled to be able to continue to support the onboard team, and looks forward to regular visits with his Crews on Journey, Quest, and Pursuit. Scott started his career at sea on small expedition ships with Clipper Cruise Line, sailing onboard both the Odyssey and Adventurer in Asia, Siberia, Northern Alaska, and Antarctica. He also worked onboard the Nantucket and Yorktown Clipper as Hotel Director, before joining NCL America onboard the Pride Aloha as Food & Beverage Director. Prior to joining the cruise industry, Scott spent ten years working in a number of hotel properties, both with boutique hotels and established brands Radisson and Sofitel. Scott is originally from Chicago and holds a degree in French and Spanish. He has a passion for the theatre, and enjoys reading, film, and the fine arts. He resides in Miami with his lovely wife Tonya and their two cats, Gris-Gris and Jack.

Captain Nico Corbijn

HEAD OF MARINE OPERATIONS

Captain Nico Corbijn is a veteran maritime industry executive who has worked directly or as a consultant for most large cruise lines. His areas of expertise include corporate and shipboard operations and human resource management, marine safety and environmental operations/investigations, auditing, and emergency management. Nico’s shipboard career started as a deck apprentice with Holland America Line in 1982 on the s.s. Veendam and he became Captain in 1998. His corporate cruise industry positions included Director, Environmental Compliance for Holland America Line; Vice President, Fleet Personnel for Norwegian Cruise Line; Vice President, Crew Management for MSC Cruises; and Executive Vice President, Fleet Operations for Windstar Cruises and Majestic America Line. Nico consulted not only for cruise lines, but also for Höegh Shipping A/S (car carriers), OMI (bulk carriers), NOAA, and the Royal Canadian Navy. Nico has a Master’s in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor’s in Marine Transportation from the Maritime Institute “De Ruyter” in Vlissingen, The Netherlands. He is a Master Mariner and a RABQSA Certified EMS Environmental Auditor. He is also an HRCI certified Senior Professional in HR (SPHR), as well as a Global Professional in HR (GPHR). Nico is married to his lovely wife Sherry who was the production show’s lead-singer when he met her on Holland America Line’s m.s. Noordam in the late 80’s. They have two sons and a daughter and live in Weston, FL since 2009.

Michelle Lardizabal

CHIEF SALES OFFICER

Michelle Lardizabal, Chief Sales Officer for Azamara, is a travel industry executive with more than 25 years of experience in tourism and cruising. Her persistence, optimism, and belief relationships impact everything has led her to a successful career and life. Prior to joining the Azamara executive team, Michelle was with MSC Cruises where she drove the overall strategy of the commercial sales organization in the U.S. market. Lardizabal also oversaw relationship development with the industry including the industry’s largest travel consortia, key accounts, MICE and Charters, and was devoted to developing a world-class sales organization. Lardizabal's passion for sales and travel has driven a highly successful career building best in class sales organizations. Before returning to the cruise industry with MSC Cruises in October 2019, she led the U.S. sales organization at Club Med where she was a member of their Executive Committee and worldwide Leadership Committee. Prior to Club Med, Lardizabal served as Vice President of Sales for City Wonders, a European guided tour company, where she successfully steered global sales efforts as the company sought new destinations and distribution. Lardizabal also spent more than a decade at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in a variety of roles including National Account Manager, Director of Inside Sales & Training, Director of Field Sales and Associate VP of Global Sales & Distribution. Shortly after graduating from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management, Lardizabal moved to Miami for a role at Calvin Klein Cosmetics with almost a decade in various managerial roles throughout the international division of Travel Retail. This is where Lardizabal cultivated her enthusiasm for global business and love of travel and the city of Miami. She’s built her career and life in Miami with her husband, Alfredo, and two children, Jake & Sofia, instilling her love of travel, culture and history within her family.

Patrice Willoughby

VICE PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

With an early passion for travel Patrice began her experience as a travel agent and then joined British Airways a move that opened opportunities around the world. Settling in London, Patrice was with Forte Hotels for 10 years, and was responsible for the creation of the company’s regional sales teams and eventually responsible for Forte Hotels’ worldwide offices. Returning to the US, Patrice set up the first sales, marketing and reservations network for Thistle Hotels in the Americas. Eventually, she was recruited by Cunard to help transform and develop this iconic brand. Moving to Virtuoso, a network of the most elite luxury travel agencies and suppliers, Patrice managed Latin America and opened membership in Australia and New Zealand. From starting a new travel tech tool to a leadership role in Cox & Kings, Patrice found her way to Azamara where she now leads our international teams. A truly global citizen, Patrice currently calls Miami home, having lived overseas for many years – from Doha, Sri Lanka, and Lyon, to Dacca, Kuala Lumpur, and the UK. Patrice balances her career with an active, busy and fun-filled lifestyle which includes a love of skiing, biking and the water and her continuing fascination traveling the world.