Carnival Corporation & plc announced that Vice Admiral William R. Burke (Ret.), Chief Maritime Officer for the company, has advised that he will be stepping down from the role effective February 1, 2025. At that time, Lars Ljoen, currently Chief Operations Officer for the company's flagship Carnival Cruise Line brand, will be promoted to Chief Maritime Officer of Carnival Corporation & plc, overseeing all aspects of maritime operations for the corporation and its portfolio of world-class cruise lines and reporting to Carnival Corporation & plc's Chief Executive Officer Josh Weinstein. Ljoen will also be responsible for strategic destination development and will oversee management of the company's owned and operated ports.

A 25-year cruise industry veteran, Ljoen is a trusted leader with a distinguished tenure of achievement in senior-level sea command and shore management roles. As Chief Operations Officer for Carnival Cruise Line, Ljoen oversees all aspects of Carnival's marine operations, including nautical and technical operations, environmental compliance, and safety protocols. He also leads port operations, guest operations, food and beverage services, onboard revenue, entertainment, and crew and travel operations.

Prior to Carnival Cruise Line, Ljoen served with Carnival Corporation's Costa Group since 2015, initially as senior vice president and then promoted to executive vice president and managing director in 2016. At Costa Group, which at the time included Costa Cruises and AIDA, Ljoen was responsible for Carnival Maritime, the marine service unit of the group, as well as fleet governance, marine projects, and continuous improvement. Previously Ljoen headed business strategy development for Ceres Marine Terminals (NYK Ports) and was director of marine operations at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. He began his career on supply vessels and shuttle tankers in the North Sea offshore industry.

When Ljoen takes the helm as Chief Maritime Officer February 1, 2025, his predecessor, Burke, will transition into a new role as External Affairs Advisor for Carnival Corporation, leveraging his extensive expertise for key legislative, regulatory and policy matters at the global and federal levels. Since joining Carnival Corporation in 2013 in the newly created position of Chief Maritime Officer, Burke has drawn on his extensive background and record in safety, engineering, strategic planning, and operational readiness to define and drive the company's commitment to health, environmental compliance, safety, security, and sustainability. Overseeing the company's maritime operations around the world, Burke has reshaped the company's maritime policy, maritime standards, shipbuilding, training including CSMART, medical, maritime asset strategy, and technical research and development.

Burke joined Carnival Corporation following a distinguished career with the U.S. Navy spanning submarine command, squadron leadership, task force command, strategic planning, and operational readiness positions. Burke served on five submarines including command of the USS Toledo (SSN 769), and he also commanded Submarine Squadron Two. His admiral assignments included tours as Commander Logistics Group Western Pacific/Navy Region Singapore/Task Force 73, Director Assessment Division, Director Quadrennial Defense Review, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics, and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Systems.