With Rudi Schreiner passing the torch, a new era begins at AmaWaterways

Travel Weekly

2 days ago

It was Taco Tuesday, a weekly tradition Rudi Schreiner likes to observe when he's home in Calabasas, Calif., and not traveling the world.
He was enjoying the Mexican fare at Sagebrush Cantina alongside Kristin Karst, his wife and a co-founder of AmaWaterways, and other company executives when he decided to spill the beans: He was stepping down as CEO.
"We had a plan and step-by-step for how we were going to announce it, but I blurted it out and announced it," he said. "Even Kristin was surprised."
Schreiner will stay involved with the company as board chairman, where he will discuss future opportunities and serve in an advisory role. Catherine Powell, who joined the river cruise line earlier this year as president, will become CEO on July 1.
Karst, who had served as executive vice president until Powell's hiring, transitioned to chief brand ambassador earlier this year.
"It really is the perfect time," Schreiner said during an interview. "I am 73. It is time for me to settle down a little bit. I started the company on July 1, 2002, so exactly 23 years later, on July 1, 2025, I'm stepping down."
Rudi Schreiner and Kristin Karst in the first year of AmaWaterways' operations. They and the late Jimmy Murphy founded the river cruise line in 2002. Photo Credit: AmaWaterways
Schreiner, who has been hailed as an industry godfather -- he and Karst received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Travel Weekly in 2019 -- has had a long career on the world's rivers. This has included time at Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and Viking, which he left to launch AmaWaterways alongside Karst and the late Jimmy Murphy.
He said he felt he was ending his career on a high note with the launch of river cruising in Colombia.
AmaWaterways in April debuted the AmaMagdalena, the first luxury river ship on Colombia's Magdalena River. The line plans to launch a second ship on the river this fall. The introduction of river cruising in Colombia was challenging, Schreiner said, including with infrastructure and building relationships with officials. Pulling it off was a feat, he said.
"I feel like that's the highlight of my career," he said. "I'm completed with this project. I don't want to start any major new projects."
Though he said he does not want to launch any future projects at the company, he still has his eye on potential expansion, including possibly to India and the Congo.
"The growth will continue," he said.
Now, Powell will lead the company, which says it is already on track to break booking records in 2026, when it has two ships debuting.
AmaWaterways co-founders Kristin Karst and Rudi Schreiner in 2022 on the AmaLucia. Photo Credit: AmaWaterways
Powell joined a growing company that is poised for even more expansion. Before that, she was global head of hosting at Airbnb and also spent 15-plus years at the Walt Disney Co., including stints as president of Disney Parks Western Region and president of Disneyland Paris.
In a statement, Powell called Schreiner an "icon in the industry" and praised his "passion and pioneering spirit," which "have shaped AmaWaterways into the exceptional brand it is today."
"As I step into this role, I am committed to honoring their legacy by thoughtfully and sustainably growing the company -- driving innovation, expanding our global footprint and deepening connections with the local communities we visit," she said. "I'm excited to work with the talented AmaWaterways team to build on Rudi's legacy and welcome new generations of travelers to experience the magic and spirit of our cruises."