Cruise industry mourns the sudden loss of Deborah Natansohn at 53

**Ally** · 10-24-2006, 05:51 PM

Deborah Natansohn, one of the cruise industry’s most dynamic and talented leaders and a pioneering female executive, died today in Fort Lauderdale after suffering a heart attack on Sunday night. She was 53.

The president and coo of Seabourn Cruise Line since July 2004, Natansohn had only days ago celebrated one of her career triumphs with the order for two luxury newbuilds. Earlier, as svp sales and marketing for Cunard Line, she was instrumental in the widely acclaimed launch of Queen Mary 2, which she called at the time ‘the most exciting project I’ve been involved with.’

In a Seatrade profile, Natansohn predicted the ocean liner ‘will be my legacy in the travel industry because the ship is going to live for 40 years.’

‘She was very well-rounded and did a great job in all aspects,’ said Micky Arison, chairman and ceo of Carnival Corp. & plc. ‘She gave us a lot of input on the product and did an outstanding job in focusing the world on Queen Mary 2. Afterward, she took on the Seabourn job with a great deal of enthusiasm and that culminated in the order for two new ships, something few people would have anticipated several years ago.’

One of cruising’s first female presidents, Natansohn achieved that top title in 1998 at Orient Lines. She had worked her way up at several Gerry Herrod companies in New York and London before being tapped as vp marketing for Herrod’s Ocean Cruise Lines and Pearl Cruises. Earlier, she gained marketing experience at Arthur Frommer International. But first came a stint in newspaper journalism, work as a wire service foreign correspondent in Israel and a reporting gig at Travel Trade magazine in New York.

Natansohn used to relate that, growing up in Brooklyn, she dreamed of being Brenda Starr, the famous comic strip reporter. She explained: ‘It was so rare to see a woman in a heroic role in those days and she was a reporter who had adventures.’

‘Debbie will forever be a role model for women in business everywhere -- confident, talented, passionate, with strength of purpose and generous to a fault,’ said Joyce Landry, ceo of Landry & Kling, Inc. ‘She shared so abundantly of herself -- freely giving her knowledge and friendship. Debbie leaves a deep and indelible footprint in the sand.’

Natansohn was also known for her sense of style, her skill at games and puzzles, and her passion for travel. Vicki Freed, svp marketing and sales for Carnival Cruise Lines, said her close friend was ranked No. 1 in the Hearts Club of industry execs that meets at the card table once a month.

'Debbie was one of the brightest women in this industry. Not only bright, but personable and she related well to everyone,' Freed said. ‘She was a great speaker. She was a great friend and a damn good Hearts player. I will miss her.’

Natansohn is survived by her parents, two sisters, a brother, a niece and a nephew. Services are scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Thursday at Star of David Funeral Chapel in North Lauderdale, Fla.

**Ally** · 10-27-2006, 03:10 AM

A ‘Who’s Who’ of the cruise industry turned out yesterday afternoon to bid a last farewell to Deborah Natansohn. The president and chief operating officer of Seabourn Cruise Line died Tuesday after a heart attack.

Packing a memorial chapel in Fort Lauderdale was a standing-room-only crowd of hundreds of travel industry figures, colleagues, employees, associates, family and friends.

They included cruise line presidents and CEOs from numerous brands; Gerry Herrod, Natansohn’s career mentor, who promoted her to the presidency of Orient Lines in 1998; and Pamela Conover, who led Cunard Line during the highly acclaimed launch of Queen Mary 2 for which Natansohn, as svp sales and marketing, was instrumental.

There were legions of people who view Natansohn as a mentor. One of them, Gary Gerbino, vp at M. Silver Associates and a long-time friend, recalled her passion, work ethic, intelligence and humor.

Carnival Corp. vice chairman Howard Frank told how elated Natansohn was last week with the order of two newbuilds for Seabourn. ‘For many years, the last thing we had on our mind was to build ships for Seabourn,’ he related. ‘Through her perseverance, drive and motivation, she convinced us. It’s a testament to our confidence in Debbie that we made the contract to build those ships.’

Frank credited Natansohn with finetuning the Seabourn product to make it ‘perfect.’ Recalling the pirate attack on a Seabourn ship off the coast of Somalia, the Carnival exec said Natansohn ‘did a superb job of handling the media. Debbie was grace under fire.’

But he called her ‘crowning achievement’ the launch of Queen Mary 2, ‘without a doubt, the most successful ship launch in history, brilliantly orchestrated, a flawless, extraordinary effort.’

Frank said Natansohn was always there to help and support colleagues, and she had a ‘terrific’ sense of humor. ‘We all loved Debbie,’ he added.

As friends and family shared tales of famous and little-known episodes from Natansohn’s life, the chapel alternately rocked with laughter and reverberated with sobs. The stories ranged from winning a second-place medal in shot put at a childhood sports event to sitting beside Pierce Brosnan at the Academy Awards to taking friends on a wine- and chocolate-themed river cruise through Provence.

‘She loved to laugh,’ said Sharon DeVries, Natansohn’s younger sister. ‘Debbie brought excitement and adventure into our lives, and now she is on an unscheduled journey …’

(AP)