William Butler

VP, Retail Services Carnival Cruise Lines

WILLIAM BUTLER is the Vice President of Retail Services for Carnival Cruise Line. As the largest cruise line operator in the world, Carnival Cruise Line has 25 vessels positioned in 16 US home ports, Australia, and Europe; serving over 4.7 million guests per year, with 4 additional vessels on order including Carnival Horizon set for delivery April 2018 sailing out of Barcelona.

William is responsible for executing the global fleetwide strategy for retail. With direct ownership of five retail concessionaires and proprietary onboard retail stores, he develops and drives the strategic vision that delivers an experience in-line with the broader vacation experience onboard Carnival Cruise Line vessels. The multi-partner model involves levels of complexities unique to the cruise line industry and travel retail sector with the intent to deliver industry first retail experiences.

Previous to Carnival Cruise Line, William worked for FAO Schwarz in New York City. Serving as the Store Director for the world famous flagship on Fifth Avenue, William delivered an unparalleled shopping experience to over 4 million guests per year.

Preceding FAO Schwarz, William began his career with Hecht’s Department stores, a division of May Company that eventually merged with Macy’s Inc. Starting in their store management training program in the Northern Virginia area, William accelerated through numerous divisions before he became Vice President Store Manager of the Fredericksburg, Virginia store and eventually the Commack, New York store.

Graduating from Virginia Tech with degrees in Business Management and Real Estate, William served on several organizational boards and actively participated in the Blacksburg community.

Outside of the office, William is an avid runner and fitness enthusiast. He serves as a community leader with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami and participates with the Candlelighters Organization of New York City.