SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. has announced Gustavo Antorcha has been appointed as the company’s new chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors. The position will be effective on February 18, 2019.

Gustavo – aka Gus – has diverse experience in the travel and leisure sector and is a recognised leader in the industry. His most recent position was chief operating officer of Carnival Cruise Lines, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & PLC, the largest leisure travel company in the world.

Before joining Carnival Cruise Lines, Gus Antorcha worked for the international strategy and management consulting firm, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), as a partner and managing director.

Gus Antorcha is a graduate from Duke University and holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Sharing his enthusiasm for joining one of the world’s leading theme park and entertainment companies, Mr Antorcha said:

“I am excited to join the SeaWorld team.  SeaWorld has an irreplaceable portfolio of incredibly valuable assets and brands and provides guests with highly differentiated and inspiring experiences.

“The organisation has an outstanding group of dedicated employees who, together, have a clear focus on improving execution, enhancing the guest experience and growing revenue, profitability and free cash flow.  I look forward to working with this talented group to enhance and accelerate these efforts and to help realize the full potential of this business for all stakeholders.

“In addition, I am deeply impressed by the company’s commitment to animal welfare, conservation, rescue and education, and I am proud to be working with the more than 1,000 veterinarians, zoologists and other animal care specialists who devote their lives every day to animal care at SeaWorld.”

Yoshikazu Maruyama, chairman of SeaWorld Entertainment’s board of directors, said they were thrilled to welcome Gus to the SeaWorld team.

“Gus is a proven leader with broad experiences in the travel and leisure industries.  His unique combination of strategy, operations and leadership skills make him the right person to lead SeaWorld through its next phase of growth.

“Gus helped deliver strong financial results and improved guest satisfaction at Carnival by leading efforts to optimize pricing, improve onboard marketing and communications, introduce new guest experiences and drive capital and cost efficiencies – all core to SeaWorld’s current strategy,” said Yoshikazu Maruyama.