Terry Thornton becomes chief commercial officer at Princess as Deanna Austin retires

His responsibilities span sales, marketing, customer relationship management and casino business development, in addition to fleet deployment, pricing strategy and revenue management.

He continues reporting to President John Padgett.

Succeeds 'cornerstone' Deanna Austin

Thornton succeeds longtime Princess senior leader Deanna Austin, who retired after 36 years with the company. Padgett called her a 'cornerstone of the Princess brand,' adding: 'Her invaluable contributions have left an indelible mark on our company.'

Austin, who was EVP, played a pivotal role in shaping commercial policies, pricing programs and market strategies and opened uncharted horizons for Princess, Padgett said.

She had served as chief commercial officer since 2019, following top roles in commercial planning, yield management and market planning. She had joined Princess in 1987 as a senior analyst and director of market planning.

Cal Almaguer retires

In another change, Cal Almaguer, SVP sales and service strategy and operations since March 2022, is retiring but will continue working with the line as an independent contractor.

Cal Almaguer, left, is retiring, and Carmen Roig continues as VP sales, now reporting to Terry Thornton

Thornton's new reports

Carmen Roig, VP sales, will now report to Thornton. The two have a shared history at Carnival Cruise Line; Roig was a business development director there for two decades before moving to sales roles at Costa North America, Azamara and Crystal. She joined Princess in March 2022.

And these former Austin reports will now answer to Thornton: Mark Barnes, VP deployment; Stuart Allison, SVP Asia, Pacific, UK, Europe; Neil Rippon, VP product management, Europe, Americas and exotics; and Lisa Syme, VP product management, Alaska. 

Seasoned veteran

Thornton, a highly accomplished cruise industry veteran, had worked closely with Princess leadership as a strategic commercial consultant before taking the SVP role.

Earlier, at Carnival since 1989, he held senior positions in all commercial areas including marketing, distribution, pricing, revenue management, fleet deployment, itinerary planning, port development and maritime operations before leaving in 2020 during the COVID-19 cutbacks.

Retail reaction

Reacting to the moves, Alex Sharpe, president & CEO, Signature Travel Network, said: 'I am excited about the changes at Princess and to have Terry in the mix. Change is never easy, but there is enough consistency there to ensure we can continue our progress.'