Board of Directors
Meet our Board of Directors and view their bios
Board Members | Audit | Compensation | Nominating and Corporate Governance | Technology, Environmental, Safety & Security |
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Stella David is the former Chief Executive Officer of William Grant & Sons Limited, an international spirits company. As Chairperson of the Board of Directors, she brings extensive experience running multi-national corporations. She currently serves as the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Entain, plc, a sports betting and gaming group. Stella also previously served as and Interim Chief Executive Officer of C&J Clark Limited, an international shoe manufacturer and retailer. Stella also previously held various senior-level positions at Bacardi Ltd., including Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer and as the Chief Executive Officer of Bacardi’s U.K., Irish, Dutch & African business. With decades of experience, Stella holds profound understanding of the premium and luxury market, corporate governance and risk management. She currently serves on the boards of Entain plc and Bacardi Limited. She also previously served on the boards of Domino’s Pizza Group plc, Vue International, HomeServe Plc, C&J Clark Limited and Nationwide Building Society.
Stella received her Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Cambridge University.
Stella Serves of the NCLH TESS Committee and is a Chairperson for the NCLH Nominating & Governance Committee.
David Abrams is the Founder and Co-Managing Partner of Velocity Capital Management and brings more than 25 years of experience in sports and entertainment, private equity, finance, and investment banking to our Board of Directors. David was the Chief Investment Officer of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Devils, the Prudential Center and esports franchise, Dignitas. He is also controlling shareholder of Keemotion SPRL, a leader in sports technology, and Co-Managing Partner of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the AAA-Affiliate of the New York Yankees.
He was also the Founder and Partner of the Apollo European Principal Finance Funds focusing on distressed assets and spent a decade at Credit Suisse as Managing Director, Leveraged Finance Group in London and New York. Before that, he founded and served as Head of the Specialty Finance Investment business and the Co-Head of the Global Distressed Sales and Trading Group.
He began his career with roles in Investment Banking, Capital Markets, and Corporate Restructurings while at Bear Stearns and Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette. David earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. David serves on the NCLH Audit Committee and the NCLH TESS Committee.
Retired Rear Admiral Mary Landry spent more than 35 years with the U.S Government, including active duty in the U.S Coast Guard and serving on The White House National Security Council. She brings extensive expertise on maritime operations and deep insights into risk mitigation, preparedness, resilience, and cybersecurity to the Board of Directors. During her service, Rear Admiral Landry served as Commander of the largest Coast Guard district encompassing 26 states, 1,200 miles of coastline, and 10,300 miles of inland rivers. She also led more than 10,000 active, reserve, civilian, and auxiliary servicemen across 11 mission areas, and managed U.S capital assets, including three air stations, seven sectors, and various Coast Guard vessels. In her roles with the U.S. Coast Guard and the White House, Ms. Landry worked on cybersecurity preparedness, policy and guidance. Rear Admiral Landry currently serves on the Board of Directors of the United States Automobile Association (USAA), the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), Florida Chapter and as an advisory board member of Sea Machines Robotics
Rear Admiral Landry earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Buffalo, a Master of Arts in Management from Webster University, a Master of Arts in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island and completed the National Security Fellowship from Harvard University. She also holds the CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight and has a Corporate Director Certificate from Harvard Business School. She is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow and is NACD Directorship Certified®.
Rear Admiral Landry serves on the NCLH TESS Committee and is the Chairperson for the NCLH Compensation Committee.
Harry Curtis is the former Managing Director of Instinet, a Nomura subsidiary focused on research, trading, and data analytics for institutional investors and securities traders, and brings his approximately 30 years of experience in equity research specializing in the gaming, lodging and leisure industry to NCLH’s Board of Directors. His strengths include deep cruise industry knowledge, ability to identify investor sentiment and a comprehensive understanding of the key drivers of our business model. He developed a wide following and has been recognized by institutional investors for his financial expertise and innovation in equity research. Previously Harry served as Managing Director of Chilton investment Co. and was Managing Director at JP Morgan.
Harry earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from Connecticut College, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Harry serves on the NCLH Compensation Committee and is the Chairperson for the NCLH Audit Committee.
Zillah Byng-Thorne is the former Chief Executive Officer of Future plc, a global platform for specialist media. She is a seasoned manager focused on driving operational excellence with a proven record for developing talent at the senior level, and brings extensive experience in the technology sector, spanning specialty areas such as online gaming, digital media and e-commerce to NCLH’s Board of Directors. She is currently an Operating Partner of True Capital Limited, an investment company. She also previously served as the interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Trader Media Group (owner of AutoTrader), Commercial Director and Chief Financial Officer of Fitness First and the Chief Financial Officer at Thresher Group. She also has extensive experience as a board member and currently serves as Chairperson of TrustPilot Group plc and Executive Chair of M&C Saatchi Group. She is a former member of the board of directors of Future plc, Flutter Entertainment plc, THG plc and GoCo Group plc.
Zillah earned her Master of Arts in Management from Glasgow University, her Master of Science in Behavioral Change from Henley Business School, is a Chartered Management Accountant (The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants), and a Qualified Treasurer (Association of Corporate Treasurers).
Zillah serves on the NCLH Audit Committee,the NCLH Compensation Committee and the NCLH Nominating & Governance Committee.
José E. Cil is the former Chief Executive Officer of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI), which owns of some of the most iconic restaurant brands in the world, such as Burger King®, Tim Hortons®, Popeyes® and Firehouse Subs®. He is an exceptional leader with a proven track record of driving growth both domestically and internationally and brings decades of experience and extensive knowledge of the restaurant industry to the Board of Directors. Before being promoted to CEO of RBI, José spent 20 years in various leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Burger King, including Burger King Global President and President of Burger King Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA).
He also has extensive experience as a board member and currently serves as a director of privately held Restaurant Brands Iberia, the largest restaurant company in the Iberian Peninsula. He is also serving as on the Executive Board of Advisors of Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, and Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. He is a former member of the board of directors for Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc., and Visit Florida.
José obtained his Bachelors Degree from Tulane University and started his career practicing law after earning his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. José is the Chairperson of the NCLH TESS Committee and a member of the NCLH Audit Committee.
Harry Sommer serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NCLH), a S&P 500 company that operates Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. In this role, he spearheads the company’s growth strategy, leading with a vision that embodies a guest-centric mentality and champions the company’s sustainability program, Sail & Sustain. He brings 30 years of experience across multiple functions in the cruise sector and is leading a workforce of more than 40,000 employees around the globe.
In his previous role, Sommer was President & CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, the largest brand within NCLH, which he led through the industry's most challenging time, marked notably by the COVID-19 pandemic. Demonstrating outstanding resilience and strategic foresight, Sommer spearheaded a successful resurgence post a 500-day pause in operations. This period not only showcased the brand's robust recovery but also its innovation with the launch of the Norwegian Prima - the first of six vessels in a new class of ships, setting the stage for record bookings in 2022.
Prior to this, Harry served as President, International for NCLH, where he oversaw all international sales, marketing, and business development functions in markets beyond the United States and Canada. During his decades in the industry, Harry held various executive and senior management roles in major cruise companies such as Prestige Cruise Holdings, Renaissance Cruises, and Viking River Cruises. He also co-founded Luxury Cruise Center, a high-end travel agency specializing in premium and luxury cruise experiences.
Born and raised in New York, Sommer earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Baruch College in New York, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Pace University in New York. Harry is also a Certified Public Accountant (Inactive License) and serves on the NCLH Board of Directors.