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For more than twenty years, Reinaldo Calzadilla has worked across several industries, including professional services, travel and hospitality. At Deloitte, Calzadilla became a consulting expert for any organization looking to elevate its data, analytics, and transformational capabilities.
And after just a year and a half at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Calzadilla was promoted to VP of enterprise data and marketing technology. The promotion was a testament to his success in transforming NCLH’s marketing capabilities; the organization wanted him to repeat his success on a much broader scale for its massive enterprise data team.
But how did a data expert land a job with a marketing focus in the first place?
“You’re not going to find any marketing on my résumé prior to NCLH,” Calzadilla says. “But there were already subject matter experts who knew what they wanted to do from a business domain expertise perspective. The question was, ‘Do they have the right partner from a technology perspective who can understand that need?’”
NCLH’s marketing database and technology stack aims to personalize marketing for the cruisers of the world. Another goal was for the marketing team to own the MarTech stack and manage operations. Additionally, Calzadilla wanted to help introduce AI capabilities like machine learning algorithms to optimize marketing spends.
“I don’t want to build something that solves your pain points right now … I want to create focused and scalable solutions that will support you five years from now.”
Reinaldo Calzadilla
On the AI front, the integration has been so successful that the marketing team has discovered microsegments they didn’t know existed. The AI tools can then recommend a marketing approach based on the data points of those microsegments, adjusting marketing spend based on frequency, channel, and what will drive the highest number of leads or bookings.
“You can’t even compare the new stack to the old one,” Calzadilla says. “This replaced a twelve-year-old system that relied on a third party and a great deal of inefficiency. Our multiple brands can activate much quicker.”
Start to finish, the project took about twenty months. The executive leadership team was so impressed with the results that they asked Calzadilla to replicate his success with the enterprise data organization.
That team is nearly five times bigger than the MarTech organization, and yet Calzadilla has made an almost immediate impact. Of the four data warehouses NCLH commissions, Calzadilla decommissioned one after just three months on the scene.
“We’ve accumulated a lot of technical debt over the years, as is the case with many companies, but I believe these early wins are going to provide the momentum to create some amazing transformation.”
Creating that momentum isn’t just about executing wins. Calzadilla focuses on building a culture of trust, empowerment, and allowing his people to focus on their work. He also says that vulnerability is a critical part of effective leadership and innovation. He readily admits to his team when he’s not an expert.
“There are areas that I manage where I’m not a subject matter expert,” Calzadilla says. “I lean on my team, take the time to educate myself, and keep communication flowing. Being open and receptive can be hard when you feel like you need to take action, but sometimes you have to step back, absorb, collaborate with your team, and get some perspective.”
Perspective is a big one for Calzadilla. The VP says the modern model of successful enterprise data management relies on decentralized and federated operations, where tech professionals are embedded in the business units they support. Calzadilla’s marketing technology team sits alongside the marketing organization. The similar kind of “living in” will become more common on the data warehouse teams. The result: a collective team all speaking the same language and understanding how different parts of the business connect to each other.
Calzadilla’s enterprise data management team tackled a large portfolio of more than forty separate projects in 2024.Frankly, it was a lot. Looking ahead, the VP says his team will prioritize initiatives that create lasting change.
“I don’t want to build something that solves your pain points right now,” Calzadilla says. “What are your aspirations? I want to create focused and scalable solutions that will support you five years from now. That’s the kind of strategic thinking we’re working to create here.”
Building on its legacy of innovation, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) tapped global marketing intelligence leader Acxiom to modernize its data and technology infrastructure. Under the visionary leadership of Reinaldo Calzadilla and his outstanding team, NCLH implemented Acxiom’s comprehensive data hygiene, identity resolution, and clean room solutions to unify and enrich its enterprise data. Through this close collaboration, NCLH optimized its marketing and technology investments, gained deeper insights into loyal cruisers across three award-winning brands, and strengthened relationships with travel agents and partners. Now, NCLH is charting a new course in hospitality, delivering tailored, unforgettable vacations that exceed expectations and create lifelong memories for travelers worldwide.
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