• 6 min de lectura
• 6 min de lectura
After an illustrious 22 years at the Walt Disney Co. in senior leadership across many areas including Disney Cruise Line president, Karl Holz retired in 2018. It is the most engaged retirement imaginable and more like a second illustrious career.
Holz advises and guides on numerous projects, start-ups and new concepts, both formally and as a board member — and no doubt has a hand in more significant deals and developments than anyone knows. Yet he still finds time to share his knowledge with many throughout the cruise industry, serves as a mentor and enjoys life in Orlando, Florida, where he makes his home and manages to squeeze in long daily bike rides.
He travels frequently, whether for work to places as far-flung as Saudi Arabia to advise the Public Investment Fund, or for pleasure, having just relished a 33-day Viking Northern Europe cruise with his wife to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
Clearly Holz's energy and gusto remain in high gear.
"I'm a very curious individual with a passion for work and inspiring people," Holz said.
Since 2018 he's been a senior advisor at McKinsey & Co., working with numerous businesses and industries, and has advised the Saudi PIF since it determined to get active in travel and tourism. He served on the founding board of Cruise Saudi, formed in 2021 to develop the country into a world-class operator of cruise ports and cruise lines.
"When the Saudis do things, they do it right. They think big. They think success. They don't hold back," Holz said.
After the crown prince decided to build a cruise product for Saudis, the Aroya brand was born and Holz has chaired the board since the start. Times are challenging for Aroya due to the Iran conflict but the Saudis remain fully committed and Holz holds fast on the long-term potential.
That's true for Saudi Arabia as a destination, too. "People think Saudi Arabia is just sand," Holz said, going on to extol its history, architectural masterpieces, the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, modern metropolises, world-class dining, renowned hospitality and much more.
When Cruise Saudi partnered with the Aman Group to form Aman at Sea, Holz inked the newbuild contract for Amangati and chaired Aman at Sea until just stepping down at the end of June. He thinks the yacht will set a new high in luxury travel and has great confidence in the ability of President/CEO Jonathan Wilson.
Since L Catterton acquired AmaWaterways, Holz has served as an independent director for the river cruise line which he believes has "significant opportunity" and a "great group of people." He's a fan of CEO Catherine Powell; they worked together at Disneyland Paris.
Holz loves his McKinsey role because "I get a chance to dabble in so many things, things I'm fascinated about." One current project relates to generative AI.
His work at Disney gave him many "pathways," as he put it, building expertise in myriad areas. He was responsible for parks, industrial, commercial and residential development, worldwide tours, engineering, environmental, professional development and training company-wide and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Holz was president of Disney Cruise Line, SVP of Walt Disney World Operations, VP of Epcot, president/COO and later chairman/CEO of Disneyland Resort Paris (in 2017 he took the publicly held Euro Disney private with Disney buying the shares). In his most recent Disney role, Holz led Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney; Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, in Hawaii; The Disney Institute, Facility Operations Services and the Golden Oak residential community at Walt Disney World.
He guided the expansion of Disney Cruise Line in 2011 and 2012 and its further growth by committing to a new Wish class of, initially, three ships, with Disney Wish introduced in 2022. The series is extended to four, five if counting Japan's Oriental Land Co. newbuild.
Holz was always known for achieving strong business results by building world-class teams that consistently exceeded expectations, as someone who attracted and nurtured top talent, and a mentor to many.
"I was blessed to have great people reporting to me," Holz said. Among them: Josh D'Amaro, who became CEO of the Walt Disney Co. this year, Thomas Mazloum, promoted to chairman of Disney Experiences this year; Meg Crofton, who was president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in the US and France; Tom Wolber, president/CEO of Euro Disney and SVP operations, Disney Cruise Line, president/CEO of Crystal and The World, Residences at Sea; Jeff Vahle, president of Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line, among other roles ... The list goes on.
Carlos Torres de Navarra, formerly with Carnival Corp., Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean, and now a principal at Azul Destinations, which is developing a new port, Calypso Cove, in The Bahamas, is among the many industry veterans who revere Holz.
They got to know each other when Disney and Carnival were exploring whether there were ways the companies could work together. "He had no obligation to spend time educating me on how a new brand saw the world, but he did — generously, and without an agenda," Torres de Navarra said.
While Disney and Carnival didn't end up working together, "The education stayed with me," Torres de Navarra continued. "Karl taught me how to find the commercial alignment between companies that compete with each other, and how to do the same with counterparties who each want something different out of the same deal. I've used that lesson in every negotiation since."
Holz remains a sounding board about where the industry is heading, what's working and what isn't, and Torres de Navarra appreciates his support for Calypso Cove, an independent, brand-agnostic destination. "He grasped immediately why a destination that isn't owned by any single line solves a problem the industry has at large: there are brands that keep growing without the infrastructure to support that growth, and they have nowhere to put it," Torres de Navarra said.
"Karl has nothing to prove and no reason to give anyone his time, and he gives it anyway. That's rare at his level ... He shares what he knows, with people who can't do anything for him, and the industry is better for it."
