Orlando D. Ashford became president of Holland America Line in 2014 after years of work in human resources and organizational development. The HistoryMakers identifies him as the first African American president of a cruise line. His route to that position ran through businesses with different products and services, including consulting, communications technology, and beverages.
Born in Bangor, Maine, in 1968, Ashford studied at Purdue University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1991 and a master's degree in 1993 in organizational leadership and industrial technology. His subsequent positions included work at Delta Consulting, Motorola and Coca-Cola, followed by Marsh & McLennan and its consulting subsidiary Mercer. At Mercer, he led the Talent Business, a field concerned with how organizations recruit, develop and manage people.
A 2015 Holland America interview recorded how he approached joining an unfamiliar industry. Ashford visited ships, met crews and listened to colleagues with extensive cruise experience. He discussed employee surveys and follow-up conversations intended to improve engagement.
His responsibilities extended across a cruise business: sales and marketing, itineraries, hotel operations and strategy. Marine and shoreside teams carried out that work. Perrigo's corporate biography dates his Holland America presidency to 2014 to 2020 and his subsequent executive chairmanship of Azamara to 2021 to 2022.
Ashford later served as chief people officer at Fanatics. The Fanatics Foundation describes his involvement in establishing the foundation, developing a Make-A-Wish partnership and creating an Athlete Immersion Program, which offers professional athletes opportunities to build skills and contacts for careers beyond playing.
In February 2025, he became interim chief executive of the National Black MBA Association. Its leadership page describes work connecting members, local chapters and corporate partners, alongside responsibility for the association's conference and career fair. His current corporate biography also identifies him as Perrigo's board chair and an operating advisor at 65 Equity Partners, where the firm's profile specifies a focus on human capital.
