Brian O’Connor’s ship has come in. Princess Cruises appointed the former Cunard Line media director to his new role as vice president of public relations earlier this year. With a talent for creative campaign development and high-profile initiatives, O’Connor is bringing excellent leadership skills and an impressive track record to the media team at Princess Cruises’ local headquarters.
“Brian brings more than 15 years of experience in strategic planning and creative campaign development to this integral role for Princess Cruises,” said Gordon Ho, senior vice president of global marketing and North American sales.
In his new role, O’Connor will lead the team accountable for media relations, publicity, social media, community relations, ship introductions, and special events. His responsibilities will include: driving messaging for product and program launches; issues management; crisis communications; and overseeing the collaboration of international public relations teams in the United Kingdom, Australia and throughout Asia. He succeeds Julie Benson, who retired after 32 years of service.
“Princess will benefit from his leadership and his track record of developing and executing high-profile initiatives that will shape the narrative of our global brand and increase awareness among key audiences including media, retailers, consumers and employees,” says Gordon Ho, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and North American Sales.
O’Connor joined the company in 2006 as director of public relations for Cunard Line. Elevating awareness for the brand in North America, O’Connor executed several high-profile cases, including: the appearance of Queen Mary 2 in the premier episode of “Mighty Ships,” a hit series created by Discovery Channel; the Britannia Ball gala fundraiser for the New York City Opera; and the first performances by James Taylor and his band on a transatlantic crossing. He’s supported the launch of Queen Victoria with press events, partnering with NYC & Company and staging the first three Queens Cunard Royal Rendezvous in New York in 2008. He was promoted to director of marketing and public relations in 2009 and supported the launch of Queen Elizabeth in 2010.
Excelling in his early career, O’Connor was appointed vice president of North American sales in 2012, and he was responsible for leading the field sales team, representing both Princess and Cunard. Strengthening trade relations, he grew distribution with North American retail partners. As he transitions from sales, he will complete his service as chairman of the CLIA Trade Relations Committee.
Before his work at Cunard, O’Connor served as director of public relations at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, where he was accountable for publicity and media relations for more than 125 events annually, ranging from red carpet charity galas and political fundraisers to award shows such as the Golden Globes. O’Connor graduated from the Protocol School, Washington’s protocol officer training and certification, and Michigan State University.
For more information about Princess Cruises, call 1-800-774-6237 or visit the company’s website at www.princess.com.