Natalya Leahy is the new president of Seabourn. (Photo courtesy of Seabourn)
This article originally appeared in AGENTatHOME magazine. Subscribe here to receive your free copy each month.
Born into a “very modest world” in Uzbekistan, then part of the U.S.S.R., Natalya Leahy was instilled with an intellectual curiosity by her scientist single mother. The young Natalya read everything she could get her hands on and had a thirst to see the world beyond Uzbekistan.
“It was always my dream to see the ocean,” she told AGENTatHOME. “I didn’t get to see the ocean until I was 20-plus years old. And now I have this amazing opportunity to lead this jewel of the cruise industry.”
The Jewel of the Industry
The “jewel” she refers to is ultra-luxury Seabourn, which operates five ocean ships and two expedition vessels. Our one-on-one interview took place during a two-week Greenland and Iceland expedition on Seabourn Venture, the line’s first expedition vessel, which has since been joined by sister Seabourn Pursuit.
Leahy earned a master’s degree in banking and finance in Uzbekistan and then her desire to see the world and further her education led her to the U.S., where she earned an MBA from Michigan State University. She soon held various leadership roles with the United Nations, Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola before joining Holland America Line in 2015.
Moving Up in the Ranks
Leahy moved up the ranks and most recently served as chief operating officer for Holland America Group, which includes Princess, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Australia and land operations. In March 2023, she became president of Seabourn.
Do Seabourn Venture and Pursuit have a more casual vibe than the traditional ocean-going vessels?
“This is absolutely a Seabourn ship – a warm, authentic, ultra-luxury experience, as always,” she replied. “We take people to places that other ships can’t get to and allow them to experience the destination in deeper, more innovative ways. The ship has technical abilities to go through ice, right next to icebergs, and it has all the toys like Zodiacs, kayaks and submarines. Yet our guests still feel it’s a very luxurious and safe experience.”
Target Market
“These ships do attract some people who are new to cruising,” Leahy said. “In general, a lot of destinations we go to are bucket-list destinations and, once they experience this product, they also realize they’re hooked on cruising. About half the guests are new to Seabourn and half are our loyal guests. The expedition product is the highest rated so far.”
Advisors are Key to Seabourn's Success
Luxury travel advisors are key to continued growth, said Seabourn President Natalya Leahy. “I really, really believe that travel partners will continue to play an incredibly important role in the world of ultra-luxury travel,” she said, noting that Seabourn guests “are very sophisticated travelers, they are looking for something very out of the ordinary, and they typically have very little time. So, they really rely on trusted travel advisors to make a choice for them.”
Leahy said she views travel partners as “an extension of our leadership team” because they can help drive strategic priorities.
“We want to empower them with tools to be able to bring our product to life,” she said.
“We started an expedition trade show, and now we’re doing it virtually to enable more advisors to meet our expedition team and learn about the destinations and ships. We bring as many partners as possible to experience the ships as well. We offer video materials to bring them to life, and we’re increasing investment in direct mail and printed materials.”
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