Jacques van Staden is a global hospitality and culinary executive with leadership experience spanning Michelin-level dining, large-scale cruise operations, luxury hospitality, hotels, and casinos. He is the former Global Vice President of Food and Beverage Operations, Products, and Concept Development for MSC Cruises, where he led food and beverage strategy across 23 ships and six newbuild launches, transforming culinary and beverage platforms and elevating brand perception worldwide. He previously held senior leadership roles with Celebrity Cruises and as Founder and CEO of JVS Culinary Group, advising hospitality brands on innovation, operational excellence, product development, turnarounds, implementing lean processes, and cultural transformation.
Cruise ships are self-contained, complex ecosystems where pathogens like norovirus present a heightened risk to passengers. Highly contagious, environmentally persistent, and operationally disruptive, norovirus has long been the single greatest food safety challenge facing the cruise industry.
