Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio

Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio (born 30 April 1953) is an Italian-born Monegasque billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and former owner of Silversea Cruises, a company founded by his father. In June 2018, he sold two-thirds of the company to Royal Caribbean for US$1 billion, retaining a one-third stake in the company.

Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio
Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio
Born (1953-04-30) 30 April 1953
Italy
NationalityMonegasque
EducationSapienza University of Rome (dropped out)
OccupationBusinessman
Home townMonte Carlo, Monaco
Net worthUS$1.3 billion (June 2020)[1]
TitleChairman, Silversea Cruises
Spouse(s)Divorced
Children1 daughter
Parent(s)Antonio Lefebvre d'Ovidio
Eugenia Beck

Biography

Lefebvre d'Ovidio grew up in Rome, one of three children born into an Italian family. The son of Antonio Lefebvre d'Ovidio, legal professor and Italian jurist, 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.[2]

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 2017 Silversea operates nine 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.[3]

He was the sole owner of Silversea,[4] until June 2018, when Royal Caribbean agreed to pay about US$1 billion for a two-third stake in the company.[5] In August 2018, Bloomberg assessed Lefebvre d'Ovidio as a billionaire.[6]

Personal life

He resides in Monte Carlo, Monaco,[1] where Silversea is headquartered.[7] He is divorced, with one daughter, Costanza.[1][8][9]

Cruise industry advocacy

Lefebvre d'Ovidio was a key driver of the unification of the European cruise industry[10] as chairman of the European Cruise Council (ECC) since 2010.[11]

He led the merger of that association with the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) of which he has served on the board of directors until 2013.[12] He remains on the board of CLIA Global and serves as chairman of CLIA Europe.[13] 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).[14]

Notes
  1. "Forbes profile: Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio". Forbes. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  2. "Antonio Lefebvre Dovidio Dies Age 98". Travel Agent Central.
  3. "Why Silversea?". Silversea Cruises.
  4. "Exclusive: Update from Silversea's Manfredi Lefebvre, Roberto Martinoli & Mark Conroy - Luxury Travel Advisor". www.luxurytraveladvisor.com. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  5. Kilgore, Tomi. "Royal Caribbean to pay $1 billion for a two-thirds stake in Silversea Cruises". marketwatch.com. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  6. "For These Billionaires, It's All About Cruise Fleets". www.bloomberg.com. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  7. "Silversea christens new flagship Silver Muse". 23 April 2017. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  8. Kalosh, Anne. "Silver Muse godmother is Manfredi Lefebvre's daughter". seatrade-cruise.com. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  9. "The year's most luxurious new cruise ship christened in Monaco". usatoday.com. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  10. "Te cruise industry: a leader in Europe's economic recovery" (pdf). European Commission. pp. 1, 19. Archived from the original on 10 June 2019.
  11. "European cruise industry changes its helm". ship2shore.it. 19 April 2010. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  12. "Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio to complete term as CLIA Europe Chairman at year end, passes the helm to Pierfrancesco Vago" (pdf). Brussels. 9 October 2013. p. 1. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  13. "CruiseTravel CLIA-European Cruise Council adopt three new safety policies". Travel Weekly.
  14. "Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio". Ultra Travel Forum. Archived from the original on 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2013-05-22.
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