Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Replaces CEO After $338M Refinancing

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has ousted President and CEO Ernesto Fara, just months after shareholders pumped $167 million in fresh equity into the luxury cruise venture and deferred $171 million in loan payments.

Board member Alan Leibman steps in as CEO, while Chief Sales Officer Tatiana Ferreira — on the job only since July — adds the president title. The November 9 announcement did not say why Fara left, and that silence is the detail trade sellers should notice.

Who is Alan Leibman?

Leibman carries serious luxury hospitality pedigree. He became the youngest general manager in Ritz-Carlton history at 25 and later ran Kerzner International as CEO. Since leaving Kerzner in 2016, he has worked as a consultant and advisor to C-suite executives and built family businesses.

"The Ritz-Carlton has been an important part of my career since the beginning, and returning to the brand is especially meaningful," Leibman said. "We have a tremendous opportunity to build on what the team has achieved and further distinguish the luxury hospitality experience we deliver at sea."

That's brand language, not a business plan. What Leibman intends to do with the balance sheet — or with the fleet's deployment and distribution strategy — went unsaid.

What does Ferreira's promotion signal?

Ferreira keeps her commercial remit and gains oversight of IT, marketing and guest experience. That consolidation puts nearly every revenue-touching function under one executive, which usually signals a company trying to move fast on sales.

Her background skews retail rather than cruise: she founded HarmonIQ Consulting & Advisory and held roles at Louis Vuitton, Neiman Marcus and Stuart Weitzman, plus stints at Starwood Hotels & Resorts and The Walt Disney Co. For travel advisors, that lineage suggests a leader tuned to high-touch luxury clientele and direct relationships.

Executive Chairman Jim Murren framed the pairing as continuity plus commercial muscle. "Together with Tatiana's commercial strength and her deep relationships across the luxury travel community, we have the leadership to build on our momentum and help define the next chapter of The Ritz-Carlton legacy," he said.

Marriott International President and CEO Anthony Capuano — whose company licenses the brand — added: "We remain committed to The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and the distinctive experience it brings to luxury travelers."

In short: Marriott is publicly standing behind the venture, at least for now.

Why does the timing matter?

The leadership change lands five months after a June refinancing in which shareholders committed $338 million in combined equity and deferred loan relief. That's the kind of restructuring that buys time but also demands results, and boards rarely wait long for them.

Fara had been with RCYC since 2020, joining as CFO and board member, adding the president title and then CEO duties in late 2025. He arrived after six years at Silversea Cruises in Monaco, also as CFO and board member. The board thanked him for leading the company through an important growth period — a courtesy, not an explanation.

Who else left?

The shakeup reaches deeper than the corner office:

• Rachel Moosa, chief people officer
• Lak Duraisamy, head of IT
• Carolina Acero Garcia, SVP finance

All three departed, with the board offering thanks for their contributions and no stated reasons.

Two internal promotions fill part of the gap: Catherine Turner becomes chief legal officer, and Zoe Alba, VP of human resources, assumes global responsibility for HR.

What's the takeaway for sellers?

For travel advisors and luxury sellers, the practical question is stability — whether bookings, commissions and guest-facing operations continue uninterrupted through a changeover this broad.

Ferreira's expanded control of sales, marketing and guest experience at least means one decision-maker now owns the advisor relationship end to end. Whether the new team stabilizes the venture or prepares it for something else entirely will show in how the 2027 season sells.