Gene Meehan
Founder & Chairman

Health, fitness, and spa entrepreneur

Competitive rower, climber, and golfer

A successful entrepreneur and start-up founder, Gene Meehan leads the development and execution of the Company’s long-term strategy, with attention to building value and delivering on the brand promise. Gene’s 30+ years of experience as owner/operator of multiple health and wellness facilities, from multi-sport clubs and boutique gyms to resort spas, includes project funding of up to $50M. Before launching Blue World Voyages, Gene founded and was president of the Downtown Athletic Club, the largest commercial health club serving executives in the Downtown Miami market. His company, Miami Health & Fitness, owned and operated the health club, with Gene designing and supervising a $1.6M, two-year renovation of this facility. With his dedication to sports and wellness, leadership skills, and proven ability to generate million-dollar revenue streams, Gene is leveraging his expertise to create a new direction in cruising that integrates sports, fitness, spa, and wellness with ocean travel.

Fredy Dellis
Co-Founder & Acting CEO

Former President & CEO, The World at ResidenSea, President International, Burger King Corporation, President International, The Hertz Corporation

Cyclist

Developed and managed as CEO of ResidenSea Ltd the first luxury residential ship concept with Norwegian investors. Built the luxury vessel “The World” and successfully sold residences to UHNW individuals.

A senior international executive with expertise in P&L management, operations, business development, start-up ventures, and marketing and sales to high net worth individuals. Fredy is a decision-maker with a strong corporate, start-up, turnaround, and growth record. He is a leader who has successfully steered large multinational organizations such as The Hertz Corporation where he was an Executive VP and President of Hertz International, Burger King Corporation where he was the President International, and Europcar International where he was the CEO.

He built, owned, and managed start-up operations, most recently TheGenieLab LLC, a leader in app development, tools, and custom API integrations.

He has extensive expertise in the cruise industry that includes founding and serving as CEO for Navis Star Management LLC, a management and investment company specializing in the development and launch of niche cruise lines in new markets. Previously, as CEO for Ocean Star Cruises, Fredy spearheaded the development and launch of Ocean Star Cruises, a Mexican domestic cruise line. He also owned and served as CEO for Bloomsbury Properties International, a sales and marketing organization representing the World’s finest resorts.

Through a combined experience of many years in the luxury resort industry, Fredy and his team developed a network of partners specializing in the development, planning, engineering, and management of resorts.

Laura Pamatian
Sales Director, Americas

Laura Pamatian’s commitment to an unrivaled experience extends equally to her clients as it does to her own full-speed-ahead approach to life. Laura is quick to describe her upbringing in the charming seaside town of Mystic, Connecticut as happily surrounded by an amazing family and hardworking parents.

With an inherently curious nature and desire for adventure, Laura embarked on extensive travels abroad after college. From skydiving in Hawaii to bungee jumping in Thailand to white water rafting in Costa Rica, Laura’s drive to see and do ultimately led to her chosen real estate profession on the beautiful island of Maui. Today Laura counts 17 years of luxury real estate experience, including with some of the top globally recognized hospitality brands.

From the outset, Laura was fortunate to work with a high-profile clientele, specializing in second homes and investment properties. Exceeding the expectations of this discerning demographic through expertly structured deals and seamless closings, Laura would go on to represent new development sales for prestigious brands like The Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, Auberge Resorts, Fairmont Resorts, W Residences, and Grand Hyatt.

Throughout her career, Laura has cultivated a diverse set of skills, including pre-construction sales, investor acquisitions, foreign national real estate transactions, 1031 exchange, corporate executive relocation assistance and has provided bulk sale resources for multi-family developers. She is LEED accredited by the prestigious US Green Building Council and a Certified Resort and Second Home Property Specialist, with extensive knowledge of South Florida’s new development real estate market.

Accruing a career’s worth of achievement that speaks for itself, Laura is a passionate and compassionate citizen of her community. She’s strategic and sophisticated, as well as kind and dedicated, supporting environmental and animal causes through globally conscious organizations like the Sierra Club and Surfrider Foundation. Her personal interests include 6 am hot yoga, outdoor fitness, live music, professional sports, and petting every dog she meets. She believes in the connection of positive energy and that we can make the world a better place, one good deed at a time.

Charles Weston-Baker
Sales Director, Europe, Middle East, Africa & The Pacific (Based in London)

Skier, hot-air balloon pilot & sailing

A senior company director with expertise in real estate, resort development & management, and sales to high net worth individuals. Charles has 30 years of development, consultancy, and sales and marketing experience with international residential and leisure property.

He established and led the International Residential Department of Savills for 25-years.

Prior to joining Savills, he was international development director with Bovis/P&O, with responsibility for a number of major international development projects, including two of Europe’s leading high-quality integrated resorts – Quinta do Lago in Portugal and La Manga Club, Spain. He also worked on developing leisure projects; including EuroDisney, the International Carnegie Clubs, and Quinta do Lago.

Charles previously spent 11 years as an officer in the British Army where his appointments included setting up a tank force for the Sultan of Oman.

Hal Gassenheimer
CFO

Treasurer Carnival Cruise Line, CFO Seabourn Cruise Line

Squash and Speed Walking

Hal Gassenheimer is responsible for helping to shape the overall strategy and direction for Blue World Voyages and for running a tight financial ship. He’ll leverage his first-class financial management skills and extensive background to optimize business performance and minimize risk for the Company. Hal is a hands-on leader of finance, treasury, accounting, and other management teams. His participative management style has won the respect of peers and garnered loyalty from direct reports. Previously an executive with ExxonMobil, he is a trusted advisor to CEOs and Boards of Directors for financial management, M&A, financing, restructuring, and turnarounds. He is known for achieving corporate objectives consistent with strategy and for solving complex business problems.

Prior to joining Blue World Voyages, he served as CFO at CDR Maguire Inc and was a partner at Expert CFO Services, LLC

Frank Constantinople
Board of Directors – Finance

Frank has 42 years of investor relations, financial planning and analysis, client management, credit and transactional experience in the aircraft leasing, financial guarantee, asset securitization, and commercial / investment banking sectors. Frank joined Aircastle in January of 2012 as the Company’s Senior Vice President of Investor Relations. Prior to moving into senior investor relations positions at Aircastle and before that, XL Capital, Frank worked for more than 25 years as a senior banker at BC Capital Markets, Barclays Capital, and Citigroup. Early in his career, Mr. Constantinople was formally credit trained as a commercial banker covering insurance companies, banks, and specialty finance companies. He graduated summa cum laude from St. John’s University with a B.A. in Management. He also holds an M.B.A. from St. John’s College of Business Administration.

Diane Trieste
VP Wellness

Hiking and cycling

Diane has worked in the Spa, Wellness & Hospitality industries for 25 years. Her proven success is recognized internationally as a skilled businesswoman with a diverse portfolio of operations, education, professional recruiting & financial growth.

Di was part of the Canyon Ranch development team that implemented start-up operations for Canyon Ranch Living and Canyon Ranch SpaClub brands, land-based and at sea. She was an executive team member that launched Cortiva Education a national vocational massage school in North America. She worked as a professional recruiter building a division of spa professionals for Hutchinson Consulting. With Di’s commitment to education, she led Bellus Academy’s massage department to provide leading-edge spa education for beauty and wellness careers.

Diane spent many years as a spa consultant within the health and wellness industry. She enjoys working with business owners, management, and health professionals to create an integrated approach for guests to experience healthy lifestyle choices.

Mike Carrol
VP Planning & Development

Appointed by President Obama as Inspector General of USAID

Tennis and golf

Mike Carrol is a key member of the Blue World Voyages development team, articulating the corporate mission and making strategic decisions. Mike has 25 years of leadership experience in the public and private sectors. His background includes providing consulting services to for-profit and non-profit organizations in the areas of business development, compliance and accountability, and operating in developing countries. Prior to joining Blue World Voyages, Mike was the Acting Inspector General for USAID in Washington, D.C, and was a presidential nominee for the position of Inspector General. In this top-level role, he was responsible for providing policy guidance, strategic leadership, and general direction and coordination of all audit and investigative activities relating to the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. African Development Foundation, Inter-American Foundation, and Millennium Challenge Corporation programs and operations. These responsibilities include: managing a workforce of Foreign Service and Civil Service auditors, criminal investigators, and management staff assigned to 10 overseas regional offices and Washington, DC; setting the strategic and operational direction of the OIG; managing an operational budget of $63 million annually; testifying before Congress; representing the OIG to a number of international and domestic law enforcement and oversight organizations; and representing the OIG to foreign governments.

Joyce Landry
Advisory Committee, Groups & Charters

Founded Landry & King, the largest cruise ship charterer in the U.S.  Joyce was inducted into the “Cruise Industry Hall of Fame” in 2006

As founder and CEO of L&K, the largest cruise ship charterer in the U.S. Joyce is one of the most influential women in the cruise industry. She was inducted into the “Cruise Industry Hall of Fame” in 2006. Competitive rowing, meditation, and yoga.

Joyce Landry is CEO of Miami-based Landry & Kling Global Cruise Events. She co-founded the company in 1982 as the first to specialize in corporate meetings, incentives, and events at sea. Landry & Kling manages cruise projects and dockside ship charters around the globe for a diverse group of clients – including corporate meeting planners, event organizers, sports marketing companies, and professional travel organizations.

Landry & Kling pioneered the use of cruise ships as floating hotels and made news in 1987 by chartering the Queen Elizabeth in a multi-ship operation that accommodated over 15,000 conference attendees. Joyce has been at the forefront of many projects involving dockside charters including the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, relief housing for Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Super Bowl 2005 in Jacksonville, 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, The 2012 Summit of the Americas in Trinidad, and the RIO Olympics in 2016.

Joyce’s credentials include being named one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry by Meeting News magazine. Joyce and her business partner Jo Kling were also inducted into the Cruise Industry Hall of Fame in recognition of their pioneering role in the use of cruise ships as corporate meeting venues.

Joyce’s community and volunteer experience include founding board member of the Debbie Natansohn Foundation and board of trustees for Barry University. Joyce is on the master women’s rowing team at the Miami Rowing Club, where she regularly competes with her team in 1,000 – 5,000 meter races around the country. She is an avid adventure traveler and hiker – her favorite adventures include trekking solo in the Himalayas and reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Teele Horstra
Advisory Board

Teele has over 25 years of experience in a variety of industries from renewable energy, banking, insurance, credit card, and mobile telecoms. The roles he performed extend from COO/CIO, IT architect, consultant, and entrepreneur. Teele has been involved with Yard Energy Group since 2009, as an investor, shareholder, COO, and responsible for Investor Relations with over €250 million of assets under management, in addition to directing all IT systems and innovation activities.

Tim Andriola
Executive Chef

Tim has trained and worked in some of the most prestigious kitchens in the U.S., including Chez Panisse, Charlie Trotter’s, and Tra Vigne. He specializes in farm to table cuisine

Brian O’Neill
Chief Creative Officer

Brand Architect, Writer, Film Maker, Storyteller

Sports fisherman

An award-winning creative and marketing strategist, Brian is responsible for communicating the Blue World Voyages story worldwide, building awareness and equity for the brand. Brian began his career as a Copywriter and Associate Creative Director at Chiat/Day Advertising, one of the most acclaimed agencies in the country. He worked primarily on the Apple Computer account, from its inception through the Macintosh launch, as well as Holland America Cruises. In the business for nearly three decades, Brian has garnered virtually every international creative award, including numerous Cannes Lions and Clios. He is regularly selected to judge at prestigious award shows, most recently the Global Design Conference in Shenzhen, China. A recognized marketing consultant, Brian has been featured as a guest on CNBC, MSNBC, and The Oprah Show, and has appeared in USA Today and the WSJ. He has also lectured on branding and advertising at U.C. Berkeley, Stanford University, and professional conferences across the country. Brian is a member of Master’s Hub, a collective of 18 distinguished marketing professionals around the world who collaboratively provide innovative branding solutions to Chinese companies looking to create an international presence. He is the co-founder of GoldbergMoserO’Neill Advertising, where he served as both the Vice-Chairman and Creative Director for eleven years. From its founding in 1990, the agency grew to be the third largest in San Francisco, launching Dell Computer, Cisco, Kia Motors, Sempra Energy, and EA Sports plus many other iconic brands.

Rick Atwood
Creative Director

Hiking, biking, and water sports

Rick has over 20 years expertise in design and creative direction across multiple industries at the intersection of strategy, marketing, product, and customer. Working on both the client and agency side, he has delivered award-winning ideas and activations for global brands, interesting startups, and their customers, partners, investors, and employees.

Rick’s work is driven by deep research, thoughtful insight, and critical analysis. He has a proven knowledge of creative strategy and activation working in diverse, deadline-driven, remote, and distributed work environments, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to ensure creative synergy and cohesiveness across every customer touchpoint.

Rick has worked with a diverse mix of clients and businesses including Intel, Motorola, Pandora, The Walt Disney Company, Westfield Centres, Seagram, The Venetian Resort & Casino, Kraft Foods, Audible, The George Lucas Educational Foundation, and The American Heart Association.

Rick is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena CA and has taught at Academy of Art College in San Francisco, CA.

Ibis Romero
Advisory Board

Ibis Romero, Executive Director of the Sunny Isles Beach Tourism and Marketing Council in partnership with the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor Bureau (GMCVB), is responsible for the domestic and international sales and marketing of Sunny Isles Beach as a premier travel destination.

During her ten-year tenure at the GMCVB, Ibis held the positions of Vice President, Membership, and Director of Sales, Latin America & Spain. Prior to joining the GMCVB, Ibis was Director of International Sales for the Hyatt Regency Miami, where she was awarded “Manager of the Year”.

Ibis is a graduate of Prospect Hall College and received a culinary degree from the French Culinary Institute NYC. She has been recognized as one of “South Florida’s 25 Most Prominent & Successful Black Business Woman”.

A native New Yorker, Ibis is a Cuban American, who has worked in the travel and tourism industry in Miami for 25 years.