Julian Pfitzner has been named CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, effective from Jan 1.

The TUI-owned brand said that following the integration of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises under the TUI Cruises umbrella, Karl J. Pojer, current CEO, will step down. 

For Pfitzner, it’s a job promotion, having previously been responsible as the product manager for Europa 2 and for marketing for the German brand.

Sebastian Ebel, member of the Executive Board of TUI AG, said: “We would like to thank Karl Pojer for his many years of outstanding service to the Group and above all for his special achievements for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. The entire Executive Board of the TUI Group wishes him all the best and continued success for his future. The maxim of perfection for the best cruise liners worldwide is a manifesto and are destined to endure in the company”.

Pojer noted: “It was an important step to integrate the successful and powerful Hapag-Lloyd Cruises brand into the joint venture between the TUI Group and Royal Caribbean. I have actively and intensively accompanied and shaped this route. Now it is the right time to hand over the tasks and the further path to the new management. I would like to thank all my colleagues who have supported me so enthusiastically on this track over the past seven years – for me the best crew in the world. I wish Julian Pfitzner, who perfectly represents the philosophy of the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises brand, continued success in his new management role.”]

In May 2013, Pojer took over as Chairman of the Executive Board of Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten. With a far-reaching restructuring, consistent brand management and a realignment of the ships, he achieved a remarkable turnaround of the company, according to a press release. In 2019, he put Hapag-Lloyd Cruises on course for growth with two new ships in the expedition segment and achieved the best result in the company’s history. A third new luxury expedition ship joins the fleet in 2021.