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Women Who Lead - International Women's DayWomen Who Lead - International Women's DayWomen Who Lead - International Women's Day

International Women's Day 2021

LEADING THE NEXT
GENERATION OF WOMEN

From Sales to Sea, These Six Women Are Charting the Way Forward

Across our fleet and in our corporate offices, you’ll find many talented leaders that work hard to raise the bar in every aspect of our luxury brand. This year, for Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Women Who L.E.A.D. campaign, we asked our team members to nominate women that have excelled professionally and inspired others to follow in their footsteps or pave their own paths to success. Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy and Diversity (L.E.A.D.) are pillars of success in our organization.

These six game-changing women were nominated as beacons of outstanding leadership, with extraordinary career paths. A former Travel Advisor, now Vice President of Sales. A woman who once spent her days hand-folding cruise documents, now Vice President of Passenger Services. A clerk in the British Royal Navy, now the General Manager of an entire cruise ship. A former Promotions Assistant, now Vice President of Global Marketing. A graphic designer, now Vice President of Creative & Brand Experience. A cadet in the Italian Merchant Marines, now the first ever woman to launch a new ocean cruise ship.

Get to know the winners…

Carol Herron

Empathic Leader | Team Builder | Active Listener

Carol Herron is Vice President of Field Sales, leading a team of professionals she affectionately refers to as “The Great Eight.” She has been with Regent Seven Seas Cruises for 19 years and has played an important role in supporting the Travel Advisor community throughout her tenure. Once a Travel Advisor herself, she has a unique understanding of how to achieve mutual goals.

How would you describe your approach to leading such a successful team?
Lead your employees with empathy and allow them space to achieve their career goals.

What is your favorite piece of advice to share?
Ask for what you want. My team will tell you that my motto is, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get”.

Tell us about a fellow nominee.
Pat Scheer is the voice of reason. She gives it to you straight and I love that. No matter how busy she is, she always makes herself available when I need a sounding board.

Pat Scheer

Advocate | Adapts to Change | Teacher

Pat Scheer is Vice President of Passenger Services, ushering in the next generation of team members that begin their careers at our call centers. She joined the company in 1992, back when it was called Radisson Seven Seas Cruises and was part of a small, five-person team. She folded cruise documents and even drove guests to the terminal. Pat now oversees hundreds of team members in Sunrise, FL and Omaha, NE.

As a leader, do you find mentorship to be an important factor in your growth?
Absolutely. In my 30-year career, I’ve worked with extraordinary women who taught me so much about the industry. I think of my first mentor, Carrie Sandgren, and how she took the time to show me the ropes.

How are you helping to pave the way for other women?
For many, the call center is their first job in the industry, and I get to guide a new generation of women entering the workforce and put them on a trajectory of success.

Tell us about a fellow nominee.
I admire Nickie Sheils so much. She oversees hundreds of crewmembers, while always going the extra mile to make sure our guests are well-taken care of.

Nickie Joanne Sheils

Vast Expertise | Good-Humored | Communicator

With a maximum of 750 guests to look after and the direct responsibility of about 400 crew members, to say that General Manager Nickie Sheils is a people person is an understatement. She combined her love for the sea with her desire to help people when she joined the Royal Navy at a young age, then found her way to cruise ships after ten years of service. Even with the recent global health crisis, while waiting to get back in the water, she once again answered the call to serve others by becoming a volunteer vaccinator in England.

Has being General Manager of a cruise ship inspired other women?
I hope so. I hope that women, especially the members of our crew, look at me and think, I want to do that. I know I felt that way with leaders I have admired.

What inspires you?
One of my greatest motivators for continuing to strive and succeed is the feedback from our guests. When they praise the crew, it makes me so proud of what we are doing, that we are delivering on our promise of a cruise of a lifetime.

Tell us about a fellow nominee.
I was pleased to learn Caroline Smith was among the nominees. She has such a wonderful attitude and is such a positive person, it is truly a pleasure to work with her.

Caroline Smith

Trustworthy | Detail-Driven | Motivator

Caroline Smith joined the Regent family in 2015 and soared to become Vice President of Global Marketing. She is the visionary that drives worldwide preference among travelers for the unrivaled Regent experience. From a young age, she dreamed of a career in advertising and found her calling when she embraced the seven seas, where she gets to be both creative and strategic.

What advice would you give to women in marketing?
Work hard, believe in your capabilities and share your opinions. Women tend to have a lot of emotional intelligence and that is an amazing quality for managing others and building strong teams.

What would you say to women within the organization that want to follow in your footsteps?
I would say that they are in the right company. Regent values talent across our global organization, regardless of where you are located. As leaders we are always seeking to nurture and encourage our own to go after their dream role. When you succeed, we all succeed.

Tell us about a fellow nominee.
I have great appreciation for Janice Davidson’s passion for our brand and her devotion to her team. And I am always in awe of her creative concepts.

Janice Davidson

Inspirational | Forward-Thinking | Mentor

From a very talented young designer to Vice President of Creative and Brand Experience, Janice’s work has always inspired others. She finds truth and beauty in the places we long to explore and captures the stories of our guests and crew that are so dear to us. She is our resident storyteller who has so much to say about Regent and the talented team of creatives that she leads, that she tends to run out of words when it comes to talking about herself.

What is the secret to your success?
You must do what you love. It sounds simple, but there’s incredible truth to it.

How do you ensure that other women succeed?
It’s my responsibility as a leader to help those on my team find passion and fulfillment in their work. Once we identify where they want to take their career, we create a plan to get them there.

Tell us about a fellow nominee.
Captain Melani is so incredibly generous with her time. Not only with our internal requests for photos or interviews, but with our crew members and our guests. She fully enjoys what she does, and it shows.

Captain Serena Melani

Generous | Hard-Working | Trailblazer

Captain Serena Melani likes to say that she’s a girl with a dream. She joined Regent in 2010 as a Bridge Officer, then served as Navigation Officer, Safety Officer and Staff Captain on Seven Seas Voyager®. She became the company’s first female Master Captain in 2016 and has led Seven Seas Explorer®, Seven Seas Mariner® and Seven Seas Navigator® during her tenure. In 2020, she became the first woman in cruise industry history to captain a new ocean cruise ship at launch with the arrival of Seven Seas Splendor™.

What advice would you give a young woman following in your footsteps?
There are billions of women in the world, but none of them are you. You are unique. You also don’t have to be the first or second woman to accomplish something to be valuable. You just need to be proud of what it is you do.

How about advice for other women in leadership?
As the Master, I am in charge. Full stop. But there is art to leading a team. There is compassion and empathy that one must have. You must also motivate and communicate well, so that when you make decisions, you have the support of your team.

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