A “north star” has never been more important, says cruise business boss

Talk of navigation and north stars is all the more pertinent given Ludlow’s role in the maritime industry. Carnival UK owns P&O Cruises and Cunard, operating 11 cruise ships in total, and boasting a combined heritage of nearly 400 years.

Ludlow’s north star comes in the shape of a long-term business strategy launched last year. “For the first time ever, we set out a 10-year strategy,” he says. “As an organisation, we'd always talked about what we were doing in the coming 12 months or even three years. But we'd never thought what a 10-year road map looks like.”

Know where you’re heading

Ludlow says the benefit of focusing on the far horizon is that it forces the business to look up and beyond persistent short-term challenges and reframe them in terms of their relevance to the long-term vision.

“Many of our opportunities are multi-year. It takes seven years, and upwards of around €2 billion to plan, build and launch a new cruise ship, for example,” he says. “By focusing on the things that are going to make the biggest long-term difference, we can stay true to our vision. Of course, there are challenges along the way and you've got to remain agile.”

For P&O Cruises and Cunard the 10-year strategy includes three distinct chapters: "reboot, drive, and deliver”. The first phase is focused on fixing the foundational elements of a business that has evolved dramatically in recent years. That includes optimising its cost base and operations.

“Because we're a very large, complex organisation, there are always thousands of places to look in terms of how you might optimise,” he says. Reenforcing the resilience forged during the pandemic and subsequent economic headwinds is also a key focus of the reboot—as is investing in technology to deliver greater customer experience.

The second chapter is focused on harnessing improved capabilities within the business to drive growth, followed by the delivery of cruise business that is fit for the future. There are parallels between Carnival UK’s 10-year plan and Ludlow’s views on “the lifecycle of a CEO” which again he sees in three distinct chapters.

“You spend the first period of time acting upon the opportunities you saw from afar. Then you recognise opportunities to optimise that weren't obvious at first. And then, of course, you look to the future. I hope it's many years away, but you start to think about what your legacy is, and about succession and how you hand over the baton. We're custodians of these brands for a relatively short period of time,” he says. “I'm here for but a moment in their history.”

That custodian responsibility includes protecting the brands and their heritage, while ensuring they are passed on in a stronger, futureproof condition to the next generation of leaders.

Prove your worth

Ludlow isn’t alone in scrutinising the role of the CEO. Customers, investors, media and politicians are increasingly looking at the actions and intentions of business leaders and their organisations.

In 2025, Carnival UK commissioned an independent, audited study, to examine its total contribution to the national economy, intended to help external stakeholders appreciate the wider impact of the business.

“Every single time a Carnival ship calls into the UK, it's worth between £1.5 million and £2.5 million to the local and national economy,” he says of the study, which also found Carnival UK is projected to contribute over £2.5 billion to the UK economy over the next five years.

Ludlow says having such data to hand means “we can have really meaningful conversations with external stakeholders” including groups such as politicians and regulators. “We've always maintained great relationships with external stakeholders, but we’ve never taken that for granted.”

Adapt and reinvent to stay relevant

As well as informing stakeholder conversations, data holds the key to understanding emerging customer trends.

“Our business is built by data. We spend hours studying the data before we make any decisions,” says Ludlow.

“I've been here 25 years. I started in the sales department, and I feel like I know this business inside out. But even now I'm hesitant to land on a decision until I've seen the data. We're in a society shaped by things such as social media, where trends come and go. We spend a huge amount of time trying to predict where society is going. We don't always get it right, but we get it right most of the time and we put our guests and employees at the heart of our decision-making.”

Ludlow says such insights help shape a vast range of tailoring that can be done to its services, from destinations to dining options and from entertainments to excursions, to create experiences that reflect changing trends and appeal to the broadest possible customer base.

Ludlow is aware every customer will have their own reason for choosing a cruise. “For some it’s a bucket list cruise around the world, sailing to New York on the Queen Mary 2, a family holiday in the Mediterranean, or an adventurous trip to the Norwegian fjords,” he says.

“Some of the bigger ships have up to 6,000 guests on board,” he says. “I sometimes think there are 6,000 individual experiences happening across the course of their holidays.”

He also believes aspirational holidays have become a north star for consumers navigating a challenging world.

“People are saying they can't sacrifice their holiday. Having that thing to look forward to, that time together with your loved ones, has moved up the list of priorities. That’s a big responsibility for us and not one we take lightly or ever forget.”