Summary
Welcome. I’m Josh Leibowitz, and as Chief Strategy Officer at Carnival Corp. I play a lead role in setting the course for Carnival and its 10 distinct branded cruise lines (Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Holland America, Seabourn, Cunard, P&O, AIDA, Costa Cruises, Iberocruceros, and P&O Australia). So, obviously, I spend a lot of time thinking about the subject of “vacations.” But I’m not just interested in getting people to spend their vacations traveling on one of our more than 100 fantastic, luxurious and fun ships. I’m even more interested how people benefit from taking time off from their work to enjoy unique, exciting and fun experiences. You see, I believe that while “work” allows people to acquire all those “things” necessary for life today, “experiences’ allow people to acquire those memories that make life today truly worth living.
So I will be writing regularly about “experiences:” how to have them, what they mean to us, and home the impact our lives. I hope you’ll become a regular reader, that you join in the conversation by commenting frequently, and that you share my new blog posts – and others’ comments – with people you know.
Prior to joining Carnival, I was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, where I co-led the big data, e-commerce, and multichannel operations practice for North America across travel/hospitality, retail, and consumer industries. My focus was improving marketing, sales, and operations for Fortune 500 consumer-facing companies. Prior to McKinsey, I was a Managing Director at idealab!, an innovation incubator that creates and operates pioneering technology companies. Before, idealab! I started and ran a wholesale and retail shoe business in Los Angeles. I graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University Chicago, and earned an M.B.A. with High Distinction from the Harvard Business School. I also serve on the Board at Take Stock in Children, a non-profit organization in Florida that provides education opportunities for deserving low-income students to escape the cycle of poverty.