Costa Cruises has unveiled a major change to its commercial leadership structure, appointing Francesco Muglia (pictured left) as chief commercial officer (CCO) with expanded global responsibilities.

In his new role, Muglia will oversee marketing, communication, trade marketing, sales and onboard revenues, with the goal of driving greater value and growth across Costa’s operations.

Reporting to Muglia, Luigi Stefanelli (pictured right) has been named vice president of worldwide sales.

Stefanelli will oversee Costa’s commercial activities in Southern Europe, including Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, while also managing operations in the DACH region (Germany, Switzerland, Austria), the Americas, and emerging international markets.

“I am thrilled about Luigi’s appointment following his excellent work in the main source markets. Luigi is a key partner in defining the commercial strategy and I am convinced he can give a great boost to Costa’s commercial development and the execution of our strategy”, said Muglia.

Stefanelli, 39, from Naples, joined Costa in Genoa in 2012 in the Pricing and Revenue Management department. Since then, he has held roles in various countries where the company operates. He first served as Business Development and Pricing Director for the Asia Pacific and Australia region, spending three years in Shanghai. Upon returning to Europe, he became General Manager for the Costa and AIDA brands in Austria and Switzerland, and later General Manager for Central Europe. Since 2019, he has gradually taken on responsibilities for Spain & Portugal, France, and Italy, becoming Associate Vice President for the Southern Europe Region in 2023.

 “I am deeply honored by this new appointment and look forward to achieving excellent results with a fantastic team of professionals, contributing together to Costa’s success,” said Stefanelli. “Over the years, my experience in various countries allowed me to develop a broad commercial vision, based on a deep understanding of different markets and their distribution systems.”