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Travel industry conversations manfredi lefebvre d ovidio
Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio di Balsorano di Clunieres (born April 30, 1953) is an Italian-born Principality of Monaco businessman. He is the chairman of Silversea Cruises.
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Ecc conference 2012 keynote speech by manfredi lefebvre d ovidio ecc chairman
Biography
Lefebvre d’Ovidio grew up in Rome, one of three children born into an Italian entrepreneurial family. The son of Antonio Lefebvre d'Ovidio, respected legal professor and Italian juris,t and Eugenia Beck, of a German family, he was involved in a variety of family businesses from an early age and today is chairman of luxury cruise line, Silversea Cruises.
He attended law school at Sapienza University of Rome but did not complete his studies.
Career
His father’s background in maritime law, among other industrial interests, led to the family’s involvement in shipping and ultimately, in the cruise industry. In 1988 they purchased control of Sitmar Cruises from the Vlasov family and in 1989, merged it with P&O's Princess Cruises unit. Silversea Cruises was founded in 1994 by his father with two ships purpose-built for the line, the Silver Cloud and the Silver Wind. Lefebvre d’Ovidio led Silversea through his board position before being named Chairman in 2001. By that time, it added two more vessels (Silver Whisper and Silver Shadow) making it a four ship fleet.
As of 2013 Silversea operates seven vessels on worldwide itineraries that call in all seven continents. It has been recognized as one of the “World’s Best” with multiple awards from Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines as well as other travel publications and organizations. He resides in the Principality of Monaco where Silversea is headquartered. It also has regional offices in Ft. Lauderdale (Florida), the United Kingdom, Australia, and Singapore.
Cruise industry advocacy
Lefebvre d’Ovidio was a key driver of the unification of the European cruise industry as chairman of the European Cruise Council (ECC) since 2010. He led the merger of that association with the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) of which he has served on the board of directors since 2013. He remains on the board of CLIA Global and serves as chairman of CLIA Europe. He is also active in promoting international tourism efforts as the vice chairman of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), in charge for Europe and a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF).