Cruise and travel industry veteran Richard Hickey has joined MSC Cruises as Manager of National Accounts.

Hickey will be working from MSC’s North American headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, where he will be overseeing the cruise line’s national accounts.

“An accomplished sales professional with more than 25 years’ experience, Richard has a proven track record of making significant contributions to leading travel and cruise companies. He has a long trajectory of successfully managing teams and directing major accounts. We are confident that Richard will be instrumental in continuing to grow our national accounts while ensuring sales excellence,” says Richard E. Sasso, president and CEO of MSC Cruises (USA), Inc.

Throughout his career, Hickey has earned valuable recognition for his ability to grow revenue and his management of high-level accounts.  Prior to joining MSC, he served for 9 years as Regional Sales Director of Oceania Cruises, where he was responsible for developing strategic sales plans and generating more than $20 million in revenue in the North American market.  Previously, as District Sales Manager for Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines, Hickey received various industry awards for continuously surpassing sales goals.  Before this he successfully held sales roles at Club Med and the Walt Disney World Company.

“It’s exciting to join a cruise line that has so much to offer travelers. I look forward to helping expand MSC’s reach into the North American market,” says Hickey.

A native of South Florida, Hickey is a graduate of Western State College of Colorado.