SeaWorld Names New CEO, COO and Board Chair

Gustavo “Gus” Antorcha has been named CEO of Orlando-based SeaWorld Entertainment and a member of the board of directors, and interim CEO John T. Reilly has been appointed COO. Antorcha replaces Joel Manby, who stepped down in 2018 after three years at the helm of the theme park company.

Antorcha previously served as COO at Carnival Cruise Lines, where he worked for more than eight years. Prior to joining Carnival, he was a partner and managing director at the Boston Consulting Group, where he specialized in the travel and leisure industries.

The company has also named Yoshikazu Maruyama the chair of its board of directors. He previously served as interim executive chairman.

“We are thrilled to welcome Gus to the SeaWorld team,” Maruyama said. “Gus is a proven leader with broad experiences in the travel and leisure industries. His unique combination of strategy, operations and leadership skills make him the right person to lead SeaWorld through its next phase of growth. Gus helped deliver strong financial results and improved guest satisfaction at Carnival by leading efforts to optimize pricing, improve onboard marketing and communications, introduce new guest experiences and drive capital and cost efficiencies — all core to SeaWorld’s current strategy.”