Lisa Bauer is the president and CEO of Starboard Group, where she oversees all strategies and operations for the premier retailer in the cruise industry — Starboard and sister company Onboard Media, which includes 2,500 employees, working both on land and on board the ships of eight partner cruise lines. In this interview, we asked Lisa a series of questions about her career journey, her leadership style, industry strategy, and more.

Women Leading Travel & Hospitality: You’ve led major transformations across the airline, hotel, cruise, and leisure travel sectors. What leadership qualities have you valued the most throughout your career?
Lisa Bauer: I’ve been so fortunate to work with great companies, whether they were entrepreneurial startups or beloved big brands, and have found that the same leadership qualities apply regardless of a company’s size or sector. Personally, I’ve always been motivated to either create something from scratch or transform an existing department or business. In all cases, I believe one of the top leadership qualities is the ability to paint a vision for the team and effectively communicate it across all levels of the organization. I’ve also had incredible teams over my career, and inspiring and developing them has always been a key to overall success. No matter how strong the vision, there will always be bumps in the road, so agility and being able able to pivot and deal with change are really important.

WLT&H: As the president and CEO of Starboard Group, how are you redefining the retail experience at sea and on land for today’s traveler?
LB: At Starboard Group, we know each of our partners has their own guest demographics, brand ethos and itineraries, and we strive to create a retail experience that’s specific to each partner, whether they operate at sea or on land. Our talented teams curate different offerings based on each partner, always looking for first-at-sea opportunities and challenging the status quo.

We know guests are celebrating and on holiday, so we want to make sure they have options for self-gifting and for purchases to celebrate milestones, special occasions and the memories they’ve made at a new destination. We don’t want to offer what they can find in the local mall or department store, so we’re always looking for travel exclusives, limited-time experiences and discovery brands. Today’s traveler is also looking for value — which doesn’t necessarily mean inexpensive items, but rather value for price paid. Therefore, we have to ensure they understand the value proposition of these unique and often duty-free offerings.

WLT&H: What’s your approach to creating a strong, people-first culture across geographically dispersed teams?
LB: I always say our people are our secret sauce, both on land and at sea. It’s interesting to navigate all the cultures in our organization, from our corporate headquarters, to our teams in Asia and Italy, to our distribution center and warehouse teams, to our global sales teams on ships and at resorts. We have a highly experienced, outstanding people team and we work hard to make sure everyone feels valued and heard and understands the full range of career development opportunities they have. We created a program called “Leader Listening Live” that sees our leadership team travel all over the world engaging with our other teams about how the company is performing, getting feedback on what guests are asking for and process improvement ideas, and learning how we can better support them and further their career aspirations.

WLT&H: What does strategic innovation look like for you today, particularly as technology continues to reshape the travel and hospitality experience?
LB: In retail, I see a number of untapped technology opportunities. Our partners do such a great job engaging their guests through pre-cruise communications and apps and I think seamlessly integrating these into the overall guest journey would only enhance the guest experience. We’ve had some great success and fun with SkInsight technology, which makes skincare suggestions, and we’re looking at other strategic innovations that allow guests to experience products in a unique way.

WLT&H: Looking back, were there any pivotal career moments or decisions that significantly shaped your path?
LB: I can think of two pivotal decisions I made. The first was leaving Midwest Express Airlines after 11-and-a-half years. I loved the company and we had grown from three aircraft to 50 and had been recognized as the best U.S. airline several years in a row in the 90s. When I was offered the opportunity to be a senior leader at a startup, I had to decide if I was going to stay with one company my entire career or take on a new challenge. I decided to take the challenge, and while that particular company didn’t ultimately succeed, it led me to other opportunities. I wouldn’t be where I am today had I not made that decision.

The second career pivot was when I was with Royal Caribbean and leading the company’s sales organization. I had been in sales my entire career at that point, and I wanted to get operational experience. I decided to leave the side of the business where I was very comfortable and move within Royal to lead hotel operations. While that was a big pivot, it gave me a well-rounded view of the customer journey and I am so appreciative today that I can always see multiple points of view.

WLT&H: What advice would you give women navigating similar turning points?
LB: Raise your hand! Ask for a stretch assignment or to move to another department to enhance your overall skillset. You have to be your own advocate. If a job is posted and you only have six of the 10 skills, apply. You don’t have to have all 10 skills. Honestly, my best advice is to go to a job you really enjoy. I’ve loved all the companies where I’ve been privileged to work and have always had great teams. If you aren’t excited to go to work every day, you’re going to the wrong place. And even if you love your job, it’s OK to take a leap if you believe it can lead to something you’re passionate about.

WLT&H: What’s on your travel bucket list?
LB: What isn’t on my bucket list? I love to travel, and I feel spoiled by having a job that allows me to travel the world. I also love to stay home with my animals, family and friends, so I try to find a balance and enjoy both.