Viking has appointed its Chief Financial Officer, Leah Talactac, as President of the listed company, effective immediately.
Talactac will continue to serve as CFO while assuming her new responsibilities, reporting directly to Torstein Hagen and to the Board of Directors. Hagen remains Chairman and CEO.
Talactac joined Viking 10 years ago and has been a crucial member of the executive team. She drove Viking’s successful IPO in 2024, which was the largest of the year on the NYSE. As President, Talactac will lead the Company’s executive committee.
Subscribe to LATTE’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury travel industry.
“On behalf of the entire Viking family, I would like to congratulate Leah on her appointment as President,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking. “Since joining Viking in 2006, Leah has been instrumental in our success. With her long tenure and impressive financial acumen, she is well-positioned to help lead Viking in our next chapter.”
Viking says it remains focused on its “well-defined long-term growth plans and committed to its strategy, continuing to be a global leader in experiential travel.”
As part of Viking’s commitment to continue to grow capacity, the company revealed it has ordered eight river ships for delivery in 2027 and 2028. This is in addition to the 16 river ships already committed to be delivered by 2026 and the
nine additional ocean ships for delivery by 2030. With these orders, Viking will have 107 river ships in 2028 and 21 ocean and expedition ships in 2030.
That move comes after Royal Caribbean Group announced its premium cruise brand, Celebrity Cruises, would make a play at river cruising for the first time. Celebrity River Cruises has ordered 10 ships with TeamCo in Amsterdam, with its maiden vessel earmarked to launch in 2027.
