Marie-Caroline Laurent appointed Director General of CLIA

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Marie-Caroline Laurent has been appointed the Director General of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) CLIA in Europe. She will begin her new role on November 15.

Laurent is a transport policy expert who has worked in leadership roles at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for nearly a decade, including serving as assistant director for EU affairs. Previously she worked in policy development for the Association of European Airlines and has also served as a parliamentary adviser at the European parliament and as senior policy officer at the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU.

Kelly Craighead, Chief Executive, CLIA thanked Ukko Metsola for his leadership in Europe during a critical transitional period as cruise operations have continued a phased return to service. She said that she is delighted to welcome Marie-Caroline Laurent who will draw on a wealth of experience within the European transport policy arena to showcase cruise at the heart of sustainable tourism and demonstrate its value to the wider maritime sector.

She mentioned that with extensive experience interfacing with EU Institutions, Marie-Caroline will be well positioned to continue to build CLIA’s engagement on European policy issues within Brussels. Metsola will stay on as adviser to the new director general until the end of 2021 to support the transition prior to a planned return to the Royal Caribbean Group.

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