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Craig Hardeman
Sr. Director Consumer Insight & Strategy | Celebrity Cruises
Craig Hardeman has been with Royal Caribbean Group for 14 years. He started as an intern and has seen the Group grow and flourish. With the expansion of Royal Caribbean Group, there’s always room for growth and personal development. “You can have an entire career at RCG across several different parts of the organization and learn completely different areas of the business and industry,” Craig said. “There’s so much opportunity to learn something new in every single role.”
“People who are not familiar with the industry would be surprised to learn how complex this organization is,” Craig said. “You look onboard, and you’ve got this really smooth and simple-looking process, but behind the scenes, there’s a ton of work and years of dedication that go into making these experiences.”
At the very beginning of Craig’s career with the Group, it was obvious that there would be much to learn and many incredible opportunities to expand his skillset. “When I started my early career, two weeks into my internship, they sent me onboard Celebrity Solstice to shadow the HR manager,” he shared, “and I learned how passionate the crew and shoreside teams are when it comes to delivering the right experience.”
Craig’s time onboard Celebrity Solstice inspired him, and when he returned shoreside, he came back with a proposal for the name of the next ship in the Solstice class – Celebrity Reflection. “The series [of ships] is about light and shadow – Silhouette, Solstice, Equinox, Eclipse and Reflection,” he said, “so Celebrity Reflection is a reflection of the people that bring this to life and the crew that deliver great vacations every day.”
How does Craig’s role contribute to the growth and innovation of the organization? “Across my career, I ask questions of how – in any role – can I or my team contribute to innovation that matters. My role is to foster innovation,” he said. “My team acts as the strategic connective tissue for Celebrity: the guest is at the center of our strategy. We provide strategic frameworks and decision guidance, from fleet planning and market planning to KPI development. I am lucky to have a talented and diverse team that partners across RCG to design the brand’s long-term strategy and short-term operating plans. These partnerships are key for ensuring our organization is at the edge of what drives choice and satisfaction, with the goal of delivering the best premium vacation. Ever.”
For our Propelled by People: Our Stories photo series, captured by famed photographer Steve McCurry, we asked Craig what he hoped people would gain from this series. “When people view the photography from this project, I hope they see that innovation comes from anywhere. It takes a diverse group of people to do that,” Craig replied. “We bring millions of guests onboard a year – that’s millions of opportunities to make a memory.”