Carnival Australia staff this week celebrated Ann Sherry’s fifth anniversary at the helm of Australia’s leading cruise company with a surprise afternoon tea for their CEO.

Ms Sherry’s five years at Carnival Australia have been marked by consistent double digit annual growth of the cruise industry as Australians have embraced cruise holidays in record numbers.

In 2011 alone, nearly 625,000 Australians took a cruise holiday – 34 per cent more than in 2010 and nearly 360,000 more than in 2007 when Ms Sherry was appointed to lead Carnival Australia.

Speaking at the staff-organised surprise celebration, Ms Sherry said: “Watch this space because the ride has only just begun.”

Ms Sherry said Carnival Australia, which operates a combined fleet of P&O Cruises and Princess Cruises ships that will soon to be joined by Carnival Spirit, had made the ‘it can’t be done’ space its own.

“We have pulled together through tough times and through great times and we have got tonnes more to come,” Ms Sherry said.

“The opportunity to build a category is a great gift and building the cruise sector was a gift that was handed to us on a platter and, even better, it was something no one thought we could do.

“We have really done what you do in great businesses. We found the customers, we brought them the ships, we filled the ships and we have given our passengers great experiences and as a result 40 per cent sail with us again and again and again.”

Declaring that she was looking forward to the next five years at Carnival Australia, Ms Sherry thanked her staff for the surprise afternoon tea.

She also thanked the team for their efforts in building the Carnival Australia business and particularly thanked Senior Vice President Neil Linwood whose advice and support had been crucial in her early days as CEO.

“Thank you to all of you for the best five years I have had in my career so far,” Ms Sherry said. “I am looking forward to the next five years. Watch this space, the ride has only just begun.”