From Carnival's CEO Arnold Donald Is Receiving A Tremendous Honor · · blackamericaweb
“We have a new project in Grand Bahama with a new destination that we've signed an agreement with the government and we're going to move forward full steam with that, as well as a second one on our private island Half Moon Cay... so all that's going to move forward to help bring the economy and commerce and prosperity for the people of the Bahamas.”
On , Arnold Donald, Former President & Chief Executive Officer at Carnival, spoke about investment during Carnival's CEO Arnold Donald Is Receiving A Tremendous Honor on blackamericaweb.
In February 2023, Arnold Donald received the 2023 Lifetime Achiever in Business Award from the St. Louis American Foundation. In a video produced for the event, Donald discussed his background, stating he was born in New Orleans in 1954 during segregation and attended an all-boys Catholic high school. He said he decided in his junior year to become a general manager of a Fortune 100 company, a plan he executed by joining Monsanto, where he spent 23 years and eventually became president of the agricultural company. Donald said he served on Carnival's board for nearly 13 years before being asked by then-chairman Micky Arison to become CEO, a role he accepted because he saw travel as a platform that brings people together. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Donald stated in a September 2020 interview that the impact on the cruise industry was "absolutely devastating," with zero revenue and no guests. He noted that Carnival had raised over $12 billion in capital markets and emphasized cash conservation. In 2021, Donald reported that bookings were within historical ranges and that there was "pent-up demand" for cruising. He outlined plans for ships to resume operations with enhanced protocols, including PCR testing and isolation areas, and said the company was sailing largely with vaccinated guests. Donald also stated that the company did not require mass layoffs and aimed to financially protect employees at the manager level and below.