THE former president of Southampton-based Carnival UK has been promoted to one of the cruise giant’s top jobs in the world.

Josh Weinstein – who last month announced a “large number” of redundancies at the company’s P&O Cruises and Cunard businesses – is now chief operations officer of Carnival Corporation.

The Florida-based corporation said Mr Weinstein would retain oversight of Carnival UK.

Simon Palethorpe, currently president of Cunard, will assume added responsibilities as president of Carnival UK.

Carnival plans "large number of redundancies" in Southampton over coronavirus lockdown

Carnival, whose ships have been standing idle since the coronavirus lockdown began, said the shake-up was part of efforts to “enhance operations and mobilise the global organisation prior to its return to cruising”.

Mr Weinstein will report to Carnival president and chief executive Arnold Donald, who said: “Josh is a highly talented executive with extensive industry experience and institutional knowledge who will add important strength to our senior leadership team.

“We are leveraging our pause in cruising to make a number of strategic changes within our business, including this important role, which is designed to strengthen our global operations and position the company and our brands for the future.”

New Yorker Mr Weinstein was Carnival Corporation’s treasurer for 10 years and spent five years as an attorney in its legal department.

He said: “I am grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to taking on this important role at a critical time for our company.

“I certainly realise that many opportunities and challenges lie ahead as we look to restart our cruise operations around the globe.

“As we navigate this unprecedented time, we are fortunate to have world-class brands and extraordinary team members across the global organisation with a proven track record of success to build on as we look toward returning to what we do best, which is providing our guests with the world’s best vacation experience.”

‘Very big’ impact of Carnival job losses

Simon Palethorpe will become president of Carnival UK on top of his existing duties at Cunard on July 1, reporting to Mr Weistein.

Mr Weinstein said: “Simon has built a highly successful track record of producing results in leading Cunard, one of the most iconic brands in not just cruising but the maritime industry.

“I look forward to Simon expanding his role and impact in leading all of Carnival UK and supporting both P&O Cruises, the quintessential British brand, and Cunard, whose luxury ships set the standard for sophisticated travel.”

MPs Alan Whitehead and Royston Smith on Carnival redundancies

Mr Palethorpe, who joined Cunard in 2016, has overseen several high-profile launches and campaigns, including Cunard’s investment in Queen Mary 2’s remastering.

Last month, Mr Weinstein recorded a video for staff in which he announced a “large number” of job losses, thought to be around 450.

He said then: “I am truly sorry for the pain that this is going to cause but the hard truth is that if we don’t right-size the company and significantly reduce our cash burn during this devastating crisis, we may not successfully get to the other side of this – and I certainly don’t want to see the proud 180-year histories of P&O Cruises and Cunard wind down on our watch.”