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Leadership

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An experienced crew of tourism, customer service, engineering and marketing professionals steer the ship at Hornblower. Many company leaders serve on the boards of regional and state nonprofit and business organizations, while others have earned prestigious industry awards. For a look at what is happening behind the scenes at Hornblower, read our "From the Pilot House" blog.

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Terry Macrae

Terry MacRae

President & CEO
CEO and Founder
Hornblower Cruises & Events
Alcatraz Cruises
Statue Cruises
Hornblower Marine Services

Terry MacRae is the CEO of Hornblower Cruises & Events, Alcatraz Cruises, Statue Cruises and the co-founder of Hornblower Marine Services. As CEO of Hornblower Cruises & Events, he leads one of the fastest growing charter yacht and dining cruise companies in the nation. He is an expert in the design, renovation, construction and operation of luxury yachts, and a highly-regarded leader in the fine dining, entertainment and tourism industries. As the CEO of Alcatraz Cruises and Statue Cruises, he works closely with the National Park Service to ensure the highest quality visitor experience.

Terry began his career as an environmental engineer with Industrial Clean Air, Inc. Quickly climbing the corporate ladder, Terry was named senior vice president and vice president of sales following the acquisition of Industrial Clean Air by Ecolaire Systems, Inc. During his time with Ecolaire, Terry looked for exciting and memorable venues for entertaining clients and soon began frequenting Hornblower Tours. When the company was offered for sale in 1980, Terry purchased it, seeing the potential to expand the business beyond the current offerings. By placing a great deal of importance on customer service, safety and teamwork, he grew the two-boat, 114 passenger operation to a 35-boat, $40 million company, hosting over 440,000 in 2008.

Terry is a graduate of California State Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering.

He is a past president of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) and a current member of the joint U.S. Coast Guard/PVA Partnership Action Team. In 1999, Terry was named California Travel Industry Association’s Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2007 he was named Most Admired CEO of the Year by the San Francisco Business Times. Terry serves as a Commissioner for the California Travel & Tourism Commission, which promotes travel to and within the state. He has also served as a board member of the San Francisco Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and is a member of the Society of Naval Architects.

Annabella Stanger

Annabella Stanger

Vice President & General Manager, Northern California

Annabella Stagner is the Vice President and General Manager of the San Francisco Bay Area and Old Sacramento ports of Hornblower Cruises & Events. In this role she provides strategic guidance of the sales and marketing of Hornblower’s charter yachts and public dining cruises, oversees the food and beverage program, manages the operations of the fleet of Hornblower’s vessels and maintains the facilities at Pier 3 in San Francisco, the Berkeley Marina and dock space in Old Sacramento.

The Bay Area is Hornblower’s original port and company headquarters. In total, ten vessels are based in the Bay Area and Sacramento, including the San Francisco Belle, the largest dining yacht on the West coast. Also located at Pier 3 is the historic ferryboat Santa Rosa, one of the original San Francisco bay car ferries, which Hornblower restored and turned into dockside event space and office facilities.

Hornblower Bay Area has been a regional leader in charter yachts and dining cruises since 1980. The company is the largest private passenger vessel organization in the United States.

Annabella joined Hornblower Cruises & Events in 1995. She has held several positions and steadily gained increasing responsibility. Most recently she held the title of Vice President of Ticketing. She has played a key role in Hornblower’s recent expansion into National Park Service concession contracts – helping both to acquire new business and then playing a critical role in the set up of new operations.

Annabella has a degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

Kevin Lorton

Kevin Lorton

General Manager, Los Angeles and Orange County
Chairperson of the Visit Newport Beach, Inc. Marketing Committee
Member of Board of Directors for Marina del Rey Convention & Visitor's Bureau

Kevin Lorton is the General Manager of Adventures at Sea and Hornblower Cruises & Events in Los Angeles and Orange County, CA. In this position he is responsible for port relations, financial oversight and management of a fleet of twelve modern and historic yachts and a crew of 100 – 150 employees. He provides strategic guidance on sales & marketing and the growth of the port’s charter yacht and public cruise sales.

He began his career with Hornblower in 1993, holding several management titles before being named Director of Sales in 2000. Kevin was involved in the successful 2004 purchase of Adventures at Sea and led the effort in bringing this new brand into the Hornblower family. He has guided his team through two consecutive years of revenue growth and has lead several successful initiatives which have generated record profits for the port.

Kevin is a past member of the American Marketing Association and a current member of the Newport Beach Conference & Visitor’s Bureau Marketing Committee.

He holds a degree in business management Bethel College in South Bend, IN.

Jim Unger

Jim Unger

Vice President & General Manager, San Diego

Jim Unger is the Vice President & General Manager of Hornblower Cruises & Events in San Diego, CA. In this position he is responsible for management of the San Diego fleet and historic event facilities in Balboa Park, strategic guidance of sales and marketing and financial oversight.

Jim began his career with Hornblower Cruises & Events in 1984, successfully establishing the company’s second port. He grew the business, developing new products and enlarging the fleet, before departing in 1995. From 1995 to 2002 he held several senior positions, including Sr. VP at PGI, a nationwide event planning and destination management firm. As the Director of Business Development for San Diego-based D.E. Cook Construction, a custom home building and remodeling firm, he restructured the entire company, increasing revenue five-fold, before leaving in 2005 to return to Hornblower.

Jim is a founding board member of the San Diego Port Tenants Association and a founding board member of Accessible San Diego, a non-profit information center for seniors and travelers with disabilities visiting the San Diego area. He is a longtime member of the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau Sales Committee and a member of the Port of San Diego Cruise Ship Advisory Committee. He is a past member of Meeting Planners International, American Society of Association Executives and the Association of Destination Management Executives. He studied business at the State University of New York at Geneseo.