Ann Sherry AO - CEO of Carnival Australia

Ann Sherry set, and exceeded, ambitious goals.

Here, she shares why thinking big is crucial. that lofty goal doesn’t seem completely unobtainable, this is because of Carnival Australia’s recent history of success; since joining the company in 2007, Ann has driven year-on-year growth. She points to a number of factors for this resurgence, including revitalising the product lines. “What we offer now is very contemporary. Once, people thought it was a bit daggy to go on a cruise. Now, I think the product is as competitive and as contemporary or, arguably, more so than other holiday products.”

A cruise for every holidaymaker 

Experienced in market segmentation from her time in the banking sector, Ann has successfully introduced this process to Carnival, which has led to a tweaking of its product lines to ensure it offers something for every holidaymaker. “If you want a high-end, luxury, all-inclusive product to an amazing place, we’ve got that. If you want to take your kids away on school holidays and you want something that’s energetic that everyone can do, we can do that too.”

Ann also points out that Carnival caters for those looking for domestic holidays alongside those seeking more exotic destinations such as the Pacific Islands or the coast of Papua New Guinea. “I think that breadth of offering has helped us to grow.”

The company has also benefited from highlighting the unique selling points of a cruise. “We can take you to places you can’t get to any other way. There’s a brag factor that goes with that. Those experiences are really the ‘money can’t buy’ part of what you can do. Often, people are looking for that. Ultimately, growth and success lives and dies by customer experience,” Ann explains. “I am very focused on customer experience.” 

This focus is served by Carnival’s capacity to examine customer feedback data on a granular level; if a particular cruise scores low on entertainment, the individual entertainers will be reviewed. If a cruise receives lower feedback on food, each menu item for that trip will be scrutinised.

Carnival Australia’s Ocean Medallion 

At a global level, Carnival is continuing to innovate in this space, Ann says, with the introduction of a high-tech, personalised concierge service, Ocean Medallion. “That’s essentially real-time data collection helping customers track their preferences. So, for example, it might send a message to people saying, ‘You said that you were interested in learning how to dance. A dance class starts in 15 minutes.’

“Using data in this way presents an opportunity to be more engaged with people when they’re on the ship. We’re actively looking at how we can use data analytics to help guide customers around their onboard experience.” As these analytical tools become more sophisticated, however, Ann agrees that instinct will still play an important role in leadership. “I’m sort of a gut-feel leader,” she says. “Gut feel is often shorthand for the data you wish you had and that you ultimately get. So, for me, I had a strong gut feel about the potential of cruises, what was happening in other parts of the world and what was possible. So, I think it’s still important, because it’s your internal processing of data. There is still room for judgement.”

An advocate for more women in executive positions 

A long-time advocate for more women moving into executive roles, Ann says there has simply not been enough progress on this front. “There’s been a lot of conversation about women on boards. There is much greater accountability and visibility, but in executive roles, the numbers have not changed that much. There still needs to be more focus on keeping women in executive roles because I think one of the challenges for the high-visibility CEO positions is that we’re losing too many women in upper-middle management and executive roles.”

Ann points to a recent announcement by her former employer, Westpac, which had reached a 50/50 gender split in leadership roles, as a positive sign. Yet such equality remains largely an anomaly. “All the issues of culture and flexibility are still rattling around inside organisations and they really need to be addressed. There are clearly many other organisations that need to be setting sharper and harder targets for the representation of women in their executive roles.”

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