Executive Shakeup Continues at Norwegian Cruise Line as Senior Director Katie Kania Departs
by Daniel McCarthy
Katie Kania at Travel Market Place Vancouver. Photo: Dan Galbraith
Shortly after Norwegian Cruise Line announced the departure of Chief Sales Officer John Chernesky, another trade-focused executive revealed she is also leaving the cruise line.
Katie Kania, who started as a BDM with Norwegian in August 2019 and worked her way up to senior director of agency sales for North America, announced on Tuesday that she is wrapping up her final days at the company.
“I owe my team the biggest thank you of all. This team is something special. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside truly exceptional people over the years, and I’m blown away by what we’ve accomplished. We have laughed, won, and learned together, and I’ll always be cheering them on from the sidelines,” she wrote on social media. “At the same time, I’m incredibly excited for the next chapter. More to come on that soon,” she added.
TMR has reached out to NCL for comment on Kania’s departure.
It is a period of transition for Norwegian. Marc Kazlauskas, who announced Chernesky’s departure earlier this week, has served as President since the start of 2026. A trade veteran, Kazlauskas told TMR in May that his goal was to ensure the cruise line always supports travel advisors.
“When you look at the advisor relationship, I have always said, even when I was on the retail side, that there’s three things that make a good partnership in this industry: commercial, support, and I have your back.”
In the interim, Brennan Quesnele, senior vice president of strategic accounts and trade marketing, will assume responsibility for North America sales following Chernesky’s departure.
