Richard D. Fain (b. 1948) is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the global cruise company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, and has been involved in the shipping industry for over 35 years.
Richard attained a degree in economics from the University of California at Berkeley before spending 13 years at London-based Gotaas-Larsen Shipping Corporation, where over time he held the positions of treasurer, chief financial officer and joint managing director. The 1970s and 1980s were a trying time for the cargo shipping company, and Richard helped to turn the business around following a period when it was close to bankruptcy. He joined Royal Caribbean Cruises in 1979 as an outside director on the company's Board of Directors, and became the cruise line's Chairman and CEO in 1988. Under Richard’s leadership, the business went public in 1993, relocated to Miami and shared in the rapid growth of the cruise industry by honing its appeal to a new and younger clientele. In recent times, the company has grown to operate at least 38 ships under the Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Royal Caribbean International, Azamara Cruises and CDF Croisières de France brands.
Richard is a former chair of the Miami Business Forum, the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), an industry trade association representing nearly 17,000 affiliated travel agencies and the bulk of the world's cruise lines. He is a member of the National Conference for Community and Justice, and serves on the World Wildlife Fund's National Council, the Florida Council of 100 and the University of Miami's Board of Trustees.
Richard holds the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur (French Legion of Honour), and was named Commander, First Class, of the Order of the Lion by Finland.
Richard was honoured by the British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame in 2012