Dr. Gerlinde Leichtfried (39) has been reinforcing the AIDA Cruises leadership team as of January 1, 2016 in her new role as Senior Vice President Marketing & E-Commerce. In this position the native Austrian will be responsible for all brand and product communication, including e-commerce, at Germany’s leading cruise company, and will be reporting directly to Felix Eichhorn, President AIDA Cruises.

“I am delighted that in Dr. Leichtfried we have won an internationally experienced marketing and e-commerce expert who will be making an important contribution to AIDA Cruises’ continued strategic growth through the successful further development of our brand and the ongoing expansion of product communication,” said Felix Eichhorn, President AIDA Cruises.

Prior to joining AIDA Cruises, the graduated economist was a member of the executive board of the Thalia Holding company, and from 2012 was responsible for Marketing & Cross Channel and for Human Resources in the role of Managing Director. Dr. Leichtfried began her career in corporate consultancy before she took up her first management position with the Thalia Holding in 2006.

AIDA Cruises is one of Germany’s fastest growing and most financially successful tourism businesses and currently employs around 7,000 people from 40 countries. Of these employees, 6,000 work on board and 1,000 work at the company headquarters in Rostock and Hamburg. With its 10 cruise ships, AIDA operates and markets one of the most state-of-the-art fleets in the world. The ships are operated in compliance with the highest international quality, environmental, and safety standards. By 2020, the AIDA fleet will expand to 14 ships.