Navigating Leadership: Lessons from a Cruise Ship Executive with Patrick Manuel, Royal Caribbean Group

In the fast-paced world of modern business, the concept of leadership remains both an art and a science. When it comes to steering an organization the size of a floating city, the complexities can seem insurmountable. In a riveting episode of the Leaders in Tech podcast, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Patrick Manuel, a seasoned cruise ship industry executive whose 26-year journey offers invaluable insights into the dynamics of leadership, technology, and personal growth. Here are the key takeaways from our conversation with Patrick.

Here’s more about Patrick Manuel:

Patrick Manuel is a seasoned IT professional in the Hospitality and Cruising industry. He has been a loyal employee of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL) for 25 years, starting as an entry level developer. Patrick has supported almost every area of the business and been very close to the exponential growth of the company. After spending time as a developer, Patrick moved into the Shipboard IT Operations, being responsible for the daily operations and support of all onboard IT systems globally. When RCCL decided to start a joint venture with First Choice Holidays in UK, Patrick was tapped to start up the operation as Director of IT reporting directly to the president, responsible for all areas of technology ship and shore. In 2006, RCCL was designing the largest cruise ship that would change the industry, Oasis of the Seas. Patrick was selected to lead the technology strategy for this innovative new ship. As part of the corporation’s aggressive global expansion, Patrick led the International IT organization to open offices in China, Brazil, Mexico, France, Barcelona, Sydney, Manilla, Hong Kong and Frankfurt. Patrick was then appointed as the IT Brand Executive reporting both directly to the CIO and President in charge of Celebrity brand IT strategy growing on this same role for the Royal brand, the largest cruise brand in the world. Coming full circle, Patrick came back to his onboard roots taking on added responsibility of overseeing all Shipboard IT including Newbuilding, all technical product development, onboard support, private destinations, terminals, and strategy for all brands in the company