Last month, the line turned heads when it announced Bouldin – Royal’s current EMEA vice-president – would move to China with his family in August to head up the brand there. 

Royal president Michael Bayley confirmed a team led by senior vice-president of international, Angie Stephen, is currently interviewing “multiple candidates” who have the “fundamental qualifications to be head of EMEA at Royal Caribbean International” and replace Bouldin.

In an exclusive interview with TTG on Thursday (13 June), Bayley revealed the candidates were “primarily internal” ones, but added: “We have had some external interest, but I’ve always been a big supporter of internal candidates. 

“I feel they understand the culture, the face of our business and our relationship with trade partners. Our preference is always to find from within. I’m guessing within the next two weeks we should be in a position to announce.” 

He added: “We’re all working with Angie to help her out and make the best decision.”

Prior to Bouldin’s announcement, the line revealed Aaron Langford would become UK and Ireland sales director, succeeding Stuart Byron who left the business last year. 

Reflecting on the recent changes within the EMEA team, Bayley said: "We’ve been long-term hardcore trade supporters. We’ve never faltered or changed our trade strategy. It’s a little bit disruptive at the moment but at the same time it’s incredibly positive disruption because our business continues to grow. 

“We’ve got a lot of new ships and new destinations coming online. People are applauding Ben and saying ‘good luck Ben’. There is nothing to worry about. We’re a marathon runner, we’re not sprinting anywhere.”

Bouldin ’a true global business leader’

Bayley highlighted how the UK and Ireland is one of the line’s "top tier" markets, adding that it remains a "really integral part of [Royal’s] portfolio". 

He explained: "Sometimes with European markets we can have some great trading weeks and then suddenly we feel like we can go into a bit of a malaise for a couple of weeks.

“When you think about all the markets we operate in, we understand the ebb and the flow of markets. I would say that the UK and Ireland is in the top tier of markets.

"You’ve also got China, Australia, Mexico and India, which is an emerging market. The UK is always jostling somewhere in the top five.” 

When asked why Royal decided to end Bouldin’s 10-year association with the UK and Irish market, Bayley said: “It was a discussion about Ben’s future career progression in Royal Caribbean Group. He’s always expressed an interest about growing within the company. 

“Ben’s an accomplished professional guy who has done a great job in the UK and he feels like he wanted to broaden his experience and try something unique and totally different.”

He added: “China has always been a very important market for us. The timing was right and Ben expressed interest in taking on that kind of assignment – it’s going to be a phenomenal experience for him. It’s going to make him a true global business leader. 

“Most corporations look at people who have a depth of experience as very valuable, particularly when you learn about different markets. We’re happy to have Ben as the leader of our China business. He will probably be coming back in a couple of years."