Royal Caribbean Group names Heather Hust Rivera global communications head

Royal Caribbean Group has hired Heather Hust Rivera as SVP and global chief communications officer.

She is set to start in the role on Monday, reporting to Dana Ritzcovan, EVP and chief people and outreach officer for Royal Caribbean Group. Hust Rivera will oversee Royal Caribbean Group’s corporate reputation, overseeing global corporate communications, incident and crisis management and executive and internal communications, said Ritzcovan in an internal memo.

“One of my greatest passions in life is travel, and I am grateful for the opportunity to help tell the stories of Royal Caribbean Group’s iconic brands,” Hust Rivera said on LinkedIn on Thursday. She declined additional comment. 

Royal Caribbean Group is the owner and operator of the brands Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises and is part of a joint venture that operates TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

Hust Rivera most recently served as SVP of communications for Disney’s media and entertainment distribution. She led the team responsible for strategic communications for streaming services such as Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, Star+; linear television channels including ABC, Disney Channel, ESPN, Freeform, FX and National Geographic; ABC owned-stations; advertising sales; Disney Music Group; content licensing and distribution; and theatrical film distribution.

Before that, she served as VP of communications and PR for Disney consumer products, games and publishing. Hust Rivera also led a global diversity, equity and inclusion task force, according to Ritzcovan’s memo.

The last person to lead comms globally at Royal Caribbean Group was Rosanna Fiske, former global VP and CCO, who left the company at the end of last year. She had worked at Royal Caribbean Group since 2021, leading the company’s global comms strategy and developing and executing all communications with internal and external stakeholders.

In Q1, the cruise operator posted revenue of $2.9 billion, up from $1 billion for the same quarter of last year, and a net loss of $47.9 million, compared to $1.2 billion in the corresponding quarter of the prior year.