Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio | |
---|---|
Born | 30 April 1953 |
Nationality | Monegasque |
Education | Sapienza University of Rome (dropped out) |
Occupation | Businessman |
Title | Chairman, Silversea Cruises |
Spouse | Divorced |
Children | 1 daughter |
Parent(s) | Antonio Lefebvre d'Ovidio Eugenia Beck |
Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio (born 30 April 1953) is an Italian-born Monegasque billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and former owner of Silversea Cruises, a company founded by his father. In June 2018, he sold two-thirds of the company to Royal Caribbean for US$1 billion, retaining a one-third stake in the company. As of August 2023, his net worth was estimated at US$1.6 billion. [1]
Lefebvre d'Ovidio grew up in Rome, one of four children born into an Italian family. The son of Antonio Lefebvre d'Ovidio, legal professor and Italian jurist, and Eugenia Beck, of a German family, he was involved in a variety of family businesses from an early age and in 2001 became chairman of luxury cruise line, Silversea Cruises. [2]
His father's background in maritime law, among other industrial interests, led to the family's involvement in shipping and ultimately, in the cruise industry.[ citation needed ] In 1988 they purchased control of Sitmar Cruises from the Vlasov family and in 1989, merged it with P&O's Princess Cruises unit.[ citation needed ] Silversea Cruises was founded in 1994 by his father with two ships purpose-built for the line, the Silver Cloud and the Silver Wind.[ citation needed ] Lefebvre d'Ovidio led Silversea through his board position before being named chairman in 2001.[ citation needed ] By that time, it added two more vessels (Silver Whisper and Silver Shadow) making it a four ship fleet.[ citation needed ]
As of 2017 Silversea operates nine vessels on worldwide itineraries that call in all seven continents. It has been recognized as one of the World's best with multiple awards from Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines as well as other travel publications and organizations. [3]
He was the sole owner of Silversea, [4] until June 2018, when Royal Caribbean agreed to pay about US$1 billion for a two-thirds stake in the company. [5] In August 2018, Bloomberg assessed Lefebvre d'Ovidio as a billionaire. [6]
[7] Manfredi Lefebvre D'Ovidio retained sole control of the Silversea from 2001 until June 2018, when Royal Caribbean bought two-thirds of the company's shares. He later stepped down as chairman when the complete takeover was completed, remaining a 2.5% shareholder in Royal Caribbean [8] [9] [10] [11] In 2021, he has executive buyouts in Arqit Quantum, a NASDAQ-listed quantum cryptography company.[14] In June 2022, the Lefebvre D'Ovidio family's Abercrombie&Kent Travel Group (A&K Travel Group) bought Crystal Cruises and its two ocean vessels, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony . [7] [12] In the same plan, A&K acquired Cox and King, the world's oldest tour operator and Ecoventura, a company operating its own fleet in the Galapagos Islands. In the same years, the financial group controlled by the Lefèbvre family, Heritage Group, acquired various stakes including 75% of Bucksense Inc, New Cleo, Avatera, Quintessential Beverages, TT, V Dyne, Arqit, Habitas. [13]
He resides in Monte Carlo, Monaco, [1] where Silversea is headquartered. [14] He is divorced, with one daughter, Costanza. [1] [15] [16]
Lefebvre d'Ovidio was a key driver of the unification of the European cruise industry [17] as chairman of the European Cruise Council (ECC) since 2010. [18]
He led the merger of that association with the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) of which he has served on the board of directors until 2013. [19] He remains on the board of CLIA Global and serves as chairman of CLIA Europe. [20] He is also active in promoting international tourism efforts as the vice chairman of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), in charge for Europe and a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF). [21] Crystal Ships could belong to him. [22]
Carnival Corporation & plc is a British and American cruise operator with a combined fleet of over ninety vessels across nine cruise line brands and one joint venture with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). A dual-listed company, Carnival is composed of the Panama-incorporated, US-headquartered Carnival Corporation, and UK-based Carnival plc, which function as one entity. Carnival Corporation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, whereas Carnival plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange with an ADR listing on the NYSE. Carnival is listed in both the S&P 500 and FTSE 250 indices.
Crystal Cruises is an American cruise line. It was founded in 1988 by Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kaisha, and sold to Hong Kong-headquartered conglomerate Genting Hong Kong in 2015. Following insolvency in 2022, the Crystal Cruises brand and two cruise ships were bought by A&K Travel Group, to recommence operations in 2023, with headquarters in Hallandale Beach, Florida. The new company has announced major refurbishments and enhancements for the two ships in a Fincantieri shipyard in Trieste, Italy, including increasing the number of butler suites and reducing guest capacity, and resumed service in July 2023 with shore excursions organized by Abercrombie & Kent.
Royal Caribbean International (RCI), previously known as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line brand founded in 1968 in Norway and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997. Based in Miami, Florida, it is the largest cruise line by revenue and second largest by passengers counts. In 2018, Royal Caribbean International controlled 19.2% of the worldwide cruise market by passengers and 14.0% by revenue. As of August 2024, the line operates 28 ships and has four additional ships on order and 2 ships were planned but did not announced the launch date.
Royal Caribbean Group, formerly known as Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., is a global cruise holding company incorporated in Liberia and based in Miami, Florida. It is the world's second-largest cruise line operator, after Carnival Corporation & plc. As of March 2024, Royal Caribbean Group fully owns three cruise lines: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises with 65 ships in the current fleet and 5 ships on order until 2028. They also hold a 50% stake in TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships that operate on ocean or rivers and which markets cruises to the public. Cruise lines are distinct from passenger lines which are primarily concerned with transportation of passengers. Though cruise packages provided by cruise lines vary, there are some features most have in common, such as accommodation, all meals and entertainment. They may include alcohol and shore excursions, sometimes on additional payment.
TUI AG is a German multinational leisure, travel and tourism company; it is the largest such company in the world. TUI is an acronym for Touristik Union International. TUI AG was known as Preussag AG until 1997 when the company changed its activities from mining to tourism. It is headquartered in Hanover, Germany.
Trailfinders is a British travel company in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Silversea is an ultra-luxury and expedition travel brand headquartered in Monaco. Founded in 1994 by the Vlasov Group of Monaco and the Lefebvre family of Rome, it pioneered all-inclusive cruising with its first ship, Silver Cloud. Since July 2020, it has been owned by Royal Caribbean Group.
Celestyal Cruises is a succession to Louis Cruises and Louis Cruise Lines. The Cruise line was a subsidiary of Louis plc until November 2021 when Searchlight Capital Partners took a majority share within the Cruise Line.
Silver Cloud is a small luxury cruise ship operated by Silversea Cruises. She is Silversea's first ship and entered service in 1994. Her sister ship is the Silver Wind, launched in 1995.
Silver Explorer was an expedition ship operated by Silversea Cruises, now owned and operated by Exploris, a French Expedition cruising line under its new name Exploris One. The ship typically hosts cruises to Norway, the South Pacific, and Antarctica. It is the first ship of Silversea involved in expedition cruising.
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is a cruise line trade association. It merged with International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) in 2006, forming an expanded organization incorporating the existing functions of both organizations. The merged organization, which uses the CLIA name, is located in Washington, D.C.
Sitmar Cruises and its predecessor Sitmar Line were company names derived from the acronym for the Società Italiana Trasporti Marittimi. SITMAR originally was an Italian shipping line founded by Russian émigré Alexandre Vlasov, however the company's headquarters were later transferred to Monaco. Vlasov initially operated cargo services from 1937, gradually replacing these with passenger services from 1947 until 1988, when SITMAR was sold to the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O). After the sale, most of the former SITMAR ships were transferred to the fleet of P&O subsidiary Princess Cruises, while one, TSS Fairstar, became the sole vessel of the newly created P&O-Sitmar Cruises. The only ship originally ordered by SITMAR still sailing, is the MS Ambience for Ambassador Cruise Line.
The Francesco Morosini Naval Military School is a military education college based in Venice operated by the Italian Navy and named after the great venetian Doge.
Eyal Ofer is a Monaco-based billionaire, born in Israel. He is a real estate, energy, technology and shipping magnate, an art collector, and a philanthropist. Ofer is the chairman of Ofer Global, Zodiac Group and Global Holdings.
Silver Muse is a cruise ship owned by Silversea Cruises. It was constructed by Fincantieri in Genoa and joined the company's fleet in April 2017.
Antonio Lefebvre d'Ovidio was an Italian lawyer and businessman, and the founder of Silversea Cruises.
Silver Endeavour is a cruise ship operated by Silversea Cruises. Originally built for Crystal Cruises by MV Werften in Stralsund, Germany, she was laid down in 2018 and completed in June 2021. She is the world's largest ice class expedition yacht, bearing a Polar Class rating of PC6.
Silver Nova is a luxury cruise ship, the 12th ship in service with Silversea Cruises. She was ordered in 2018 and completed in 2023. Nova is the first ship in the company's new Evolution-class, and designed with the intent of environmentally friendly cruising. It is the first hybrid luxury cruise ship, powered by a combination of liquefied natural gas (LNG), fuel cell system, and batteries, enabling it to be emissions free when in port. The ship was built at a Meyer Werft in Germany, featuring a unique asymmetrical design.