April, Brighton – The cruise ship interiors community has nominated the next wave of rising stars. Supported by Cruise & Ferry, the 2026 Future Leaders include top design minds from across industry-leading design studios and ocean, river and expedition cruise brands. From hands-on directors of guest experience to detail-oriented technical stars, insight and leadership is found across every stage of the shipbuilding process.
Although each nominee showcases their own strengths, the thread that connects them is how appreciated they are across all stages of the supply chain. Nominations cite Future Leaders’ ability to ‘foster alignment across all departments’, creating ‘lasting professional relationships with technical teams’ and producing ‘productive partnerships and consistently successful project outcomes’.
No two days in a cruise ship interiors profession are ever truly alike. Who better to represent this truth than this years’ batch of Future Leaders. Projects include small yacht-like cruise ships and new cruise lines, and the largest cruise ship – and cruise line – in the world.
It is our pleasure to introduce the 2026 CSI Future Leaders, alphabetically by surname:
- Nujen Acar, Lead Designer and Architect, OSK
- Tani Gurra, Front of House & Beverage Director, Hurtigruten
- Natalia Kulinska, Senior Designer & Lead Project Manager, Tillberg Design of Sweden
- Luke Murphy, Senior Product Development Manager, Marella Cruises
- Anna Pagliaro, Superintendent Architectural Outfitting and Design, Royal Caribbean Group
- Jessica Payne, Sr. Manager, Interior Design, Windstar
- Esmeralda Stahlberg, Manager Architectural outfitting Turku, Royal Caribbean Group
- Salvatore Terranova, Yacht Aesthetics Manager, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
- Lauren West, Director – Fleet Development, AmaWaterways
Raise a glass to our Future Leaders
You’re invited to join us in celebrating our 2026 Future Leaders in-person at CSI Design Expo Americas on 9 – 10 June at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Get your free pass by registering here.
Want more of this?
From ship to shore, design conversations will continue on 9 – 10 June at Cruise Ship Interiors Design Expo Americas (CSI) and the co-located Hotel & Resort Design South (HRDS). Registration is officially live – don’t miss your chance to join the cruise and hotel design communities together under one roof at the Miami Beach Convention Center with a free two-day pass.
