The professional staff at Aqua Expeditions, Peru’s leading luxury tour operator on the Amazon River, has been carefully selected for their experienced attention to the highest standards of guest service in luxury cruising:
Francesco Galli Zugaro, Chief Executive Officer
Francesco Galli Zugaro, is experienced travel industry professional and resident of Peru and brings his deep experience in international tourism development as an international marketing and sales executive to his role as CEO of Aqua Expeditions. Immediately prior to starting Aqua Expeditions, he served as Vice President of Marketing and Sales with a well respected boutique cruise operator in the Galapagos Islands. Francesco has a B.A. in Communications from Boston College and has completed management studies at Carroll School of Management. His prior professional experience was principally in luxury tourism startups and telecoms. Francesco has expertise in multicultural environments and fluency in four languages arising from his dual citizenship (EEC and USA) and prior residency in eight different countries.
Fred Brown, Chief Financial Officer
Fred Brown, a British Chartered Accountant and Chief Financial Officer for Aqua Expeditions, brings a winning combination of experience in business start-ups with a strong knowledge of Latin America to his CFO role at Aqua Expeditions. Over the course of his career, which has included accounting work for Deloitte & Touche in Peru, Ecuador, and the United States, Fred mastered the skill of designing feasibility studies, then evolving these to develop business plans for new businesses. Having recently retired as Country Managing Partner for Ecuador and Partner-in-Charge of Consulting Services for the Andean Region of Ecuador, Fred is now able to turn his intention to handling the financial operations of our business. Fred also serves as Independent Director and President of the Audit Committee for PRONACA, a major $650 million Ecuadorian agribusiness.
Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, Executive Chef
Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, Executive Chef on the M/V Aqua, will oversees the M/V Aqua menus and restaurant operations, focusing on fresh, delicious Peruvian fare, paired with fine South American wines. Schiaffino is owner of Lima’s renowned Malabar Restaurant, and previously made his international reputation at La Huaca Pucllana, where his superb nouveau-Andean fare resulted in an invitation to become a featured chef at the James Beard House in New York City. Schiaffino studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park New York, and did Master’s level work at the Italian Culinary Institute. While in Italy, he also honed his skills at the Michelin three-star Ristorante dal Pescatore, under renowned chef Nadia Santini and at Piero Bertinotti’s celebrated Ristorante Pinocchio.
Jordi Puig, Architect & Interior Designer
Jordi Puig, widely regarded as one of Peru’s top interior designers, has brought his special touch to designing the exterior façade, suites and public areas of the M/V Aqua. Puig studied architecture and design at both the University Ricardo Palma in Lima and at the Instituto Elisava Escola Superior de Disseny in Barcelona. He has designed numerous commercial spaces, shops, and galleries in Lima, and is responsible for the look of 10 of Lima’s most exclusive restaurants and four of its top bars and discotheques. In addition, Puig has created the interior design for nearly 50 private homes, apartments, and lofts in Peru, Spain, and in the United States. His work has been featured in the British magazine Wall Paper, as well as in major design publications in Chile and Peru.
Dalia Gibu, Marketing and Sales Manager
Dalia Gibu, Marketing and Sales Manager at Aqua Expeditions, has a Masters degree in Tourism Management from the University of Alicante in Spain, and her experience has covered everything from Management Training, Human Resources, Food and Beverage Management to Marketing and Sales. Dalia spent several years at the Wyndham Grand Bay Hotel, Isla Navidad Resort in Manzanillo, Mexico before returning to Peru to work as Executive and Direct Sales Supervisor for Inkaterra and the Andean Experience, a luxury hotel and tour operator. She has also taught Marketing for Tourism at San Martin de Porres University in Lima. Gibu speaks Spanish, English, Japanese and French.
