Norwegian Cruise Line has announced that company veteran Andy Stuart has been named president and chief operating officer of Norwegian Cruise Line.

The move follows the resignation of Drew Madsen.

Stuart has been with Norwegian Cruise Line since 1988 and has held a number of leadership positions, most recently as executive vice president of sales.

“Given the recent restructuring of the role and job responsibilities, Drew has decided to step down.

“We thank him for his contributions and wish him well,” said Frank Del Rio, chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

“As we continue to build the newly merged organisation, we are tapping into the tremendous company and industry knowledge that Andy has, along with the strong relationships he has built with our travel partners.”

Stuart has been instrumental in building the Norwegian brand, particularly in the roll out and marketing of the line’s signature Freestyle Cruising.

He also greatly strengthened relationships with travel partners with the introduction of Partners First, the company’s corporate philosophy of always putting its travel partners first.

During his 27-year career with the company, he has held responsibility for a number of key areas including: Global Sales, Passenger Services, Revenue Management, Marketing and Public Relations.

“Having seen Norwegian Cruise Line grow significantly during the course of my career, I am thrilled and proud to lead this incredible company as we continue to enhance and build the brand,” said Stuart.

“The future is extremely bright and I am looking forward to continuing to work with our travel partners through our expanded sales team, delivering an exceptional product to our guests in conjunction with our hard-working officers and crew and ensuring that our team members are motivated and engaged, all the while building value for our shareholders.”