Simon Palthorpe is stepping down as president of Carnival UK after six years at the helm of the Carnival Corp division.

He will leave the company at the end of November "for a new opportunity", Carnival UK said on Tuesday.

“Simon has been a true asset for the company these past years, and we wish him the best with this new opportunity,” Carnival chief operations officer Josh Weinstein said in a statement.

“He successfully revitalised the Cunard brand and then ably stepped into the role of president of Carnival UK for the past 15 months, leading both P&O Cruises and Cunard back into guest operations this summer with the Carnival UK executive team.”

Arnold Donald-led Carnival will appoint Sture Myrmell as Carnival UK's new president, effective 18 October.

Myrmell, who is the president of both P&O Cruises Australia and Carnival Australia, will also serve temporarily as president of Cunard during recruitment for that role.

Sture Myrmell, president of both P&O Cruises Australia and Carnival Australia, has been appointed president of Carnival UK. He is also interim president of Cunard. Photo: Carnival corp

He will report directly to Weinstein from Carnival's Southampton, England, location.

“Sture is a two-decade-plus veteran at our company, so we look forward to him bringing his deep experience, excellent leadership skills and proven track record of success to a new leadership opportunity," Weinstein said.

Myrmell has served in multiple positions across Carnival's Princess Cruises, Cunard, Seabourn and P&O Australia brands during his two decades with the cruise giant.

Marguerite Fitzgerald, the lead for Boston Consulting Group's global lodging and leisure practice and global strategy business, will assume Myrmell’s prior position as president of P&O Cruises Australia and Carnival Australia, effective 10 January.

She will be based in Sydney and report directly to Jan Swartz, group president of Holland America Group.