Ambassadors Names Hans Birkholz President and CEO, CEO of Windstar
Ambassadors International, Inc., parent company of Windstar Cruises, has appointed Hans Birkholz as president and CEO of Ambassadors International Inc., and CEO of Windstar Cruises. Birkholz will start on May 10, 2010.
He will replace Art Rodney, who has been serving as interim CEO and a board member of Ambassadors. “I am delighted to welcome Hans Birkholz to Ambassadors and look forward to his contribution to the company,” said Rodney.
Ambassadors said it selected Birkholz based on his financial acumen, marketing expertise and entrepreneurial style, as well as his proven ability to drive profitable growth for companies.
Birkholz most recently served as president and chief operating officer of Grand Expeditions, Inc., a collection of travel companies specializing in unique luxury travel experiences.
Under his leadership, Grand Expeditions emerged from an unstable travel market following 9/11 to become a profitable growth company. Prior to Grand Expeditions, Birkholz was part of the executive management team of The Moorings, the sailing vacation company.
As vice president of global sales and marketing and later co-president, he led all sales, marketing and fleet planning for the company’s charter and yacht sales business lines. He is credited with strengthening the company as a global leader in bareboat charters and expanding the products and destinations offered by The Moorings.
Before launching his travel industry career, Birkholz was director of brand marketing for the Olive Garden, Darden Restaurants, Inc., where he was responsible for brand development, advertising, promotion and menu development.
He also held senior level positions with Nabisco, Inc., now a unit of Kraft Foods, working on established brands and new business initiatives. Birkholz also spent four years at General Mills, working as a marketing manager on some of the company’s most iconic brands. Prior to that, he was a commercial banker with First Bank System in Minneapolis.
