Antonio Paradiso has had a long and successful career which started with the British Consulate in Italy. In 2008 he moved to MSC Cruises where his experience of the cruise and travel industry began. As the Commercial Manager for Germany, Switzerland and Austria he was responsible for growing the business and making MSC Cruises the major player it is in those countries today. In 2012 a new challenge took him to MSC Cruises Head office in Geneva where he became Executive Director of Asia and the emerging markets. During his career with MSC Cruises Head office in Geneva, Antonio was responsible for the direction and management of over 30 countries. Early in 2016 Antonio was appointed as the Managing Director for the UK & Ireland for MSC Cruises. Later he also took on the role of Managing Director for the UK & Ireland for Explora Journeys (MSC Cruises’ new luxury brand) when the cruise line launched in 2021. Due to his success in this role, in 2024 Antonio was promoted to Vice President of International Sales for MSC Group’s Cruise Division assuming responsibility for the UK & Ireland, Australia, South Africa and Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland).

Antonio is delighted to be leading the UK & Irish business at such an exciting time while the cruise industry in the market is booming. He is looking forward to welcoming MSC Virtuosa back to Southampton for Summer 2025 and to the launch of MSC Cruises’ newest ship, MSC World America, in April 2025.