He has taken the place of Marie-Caroline Laurent, who moved to MSC.
Rome – The appointment of CLIA’s new head for Europe has arrived, following the departure of Marie-Caroline Laurent, who joined MSC. After serving in the interim role for several months, Nikos Mertzanidis has been promoted to Executive Director of CLIA for Europe, effective July 1, 2025. Having joined CLIA in 2016, Mertzanidis previously held the position of European Vice President for Ports & Destinations and Taxation. “An especially significant experience for Italian matters, given that our country has dozens of cruise ports, each with its own complexity, and also considering the potential introduction of new landing taxes,” explains CLIA. The organization has also appointed Niels Wammen-Jensen as “Executive Vice President for International Regions,” a newly created role based in Brussels, effective August 21, 2025. Wammen-Jensen comes from the MSC Group, where he led European institutional relations, and will be responsible for cross-functional coordination of CLIA’s activities outside North America. He will report directly to CLIA’s President and CEO, Bud Darr.
In the photo: Niels Wammen-Jensen (left) and Nikos Mertzanidis (right)
