Josh Leibowitz

Josh Leibowitz is chief strategy officer at Carnival Corporation, a global cruise company and one of the largest vacation companies in the world and senior vice president Cunard NA. The portfolio includes leading cruise global brands and a wide range of holiday and vacation products, such as Princess Cruises, AIDA, Holland America, Carnival Cruise Lines, Seabourn, Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises and Cunard. In his dual role as strategist and brand leader, he oversees corporate strategy globally as well as operations for Cunard in North America. He is an avid vacation defender and writes passionately about the need to take time in life to relax and recharge. As well he is interested in the future of travel and how technology is shaping innovation and design, like driverless cars, high-speed rail, wearable technology like Ocean Medallion, and airline, hotel and ship cabin redesign for the modern traveler.

Prior to joining Carnival, he was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he co-lead the big data, e-commerce, and multichannel operations practice for North America across travel/hospitality, retail, and consumer industries. His focus was improving marketing, sales, and operations for Fortune 500 consumer-facing companies. Before McKinsey, he held multiple operating roles. Leibowitz was a Managing Director at idealab!, an innovation incubator that creates and operates pioneering technology companies, where he successfully led several e-commerce startups. Prior to that, he started and operated a wholesale and retail shoe business in Los Angeles.

Leibowitz received an A.B. in economics from the University of Chicago, Phi Beta Kappa and hold an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, with high Distinction, Baker Scholar. He is a frequent blogger and speaker on the topic of being an Avid Vacation Defender including at TEDx Coconut Grove in March 2018.