David Arison – Actor, Businessman and Philanthropist

David Arison is an acclaimed businessman and the founder and chairman of Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise line operator. He’s also renowned for his charitable endeavors.

Arison is an incredibly generous person and donates generously to charities around the world. He and his wife make regular contributions to organizations like Direct Relief, Save the Children, Hurricane Irma Relief and many others.

Early Life and Education

Arison was born in Saint Louis, Missouri and raised within the Jewish community. He attended a private school before earning his Bachelor of Arts in Business and French with a minor in Art History from Emory University.

He is the chairman of Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise operator. Arison has made many important contributions to his company over its lifetime, such as helping it go public and overseeing significant expansions between 1980s and late 1990s.

Arison has championed community involvement through Good Deeds Day, an annual event that encourages people to give back to their communities. This year, 900,000 people from 58 countries will take part. Furthermore, Arison consistently donates significant amounts of money to charity – serving as a role model for doing good and leaving an uplifting impact on the world.

Professional Career

David Arison is an acclaimed global businessman and philanthropist. He serves as Executive Chairman of The Doing Good Model, Vice President of Global Relations for Arison Investments and The Ted Arison Family Foundation (both part of The Arison Group).

David Arison of The Arison Group recently spoke at the New York University Stern Center for Sustainable Business on “Doing Good Is Good Business.” In his presentation, Arison shared how The Arison Group is leading by example in sustainable initiatives by employing “The Doing Good Model,” which involves creating social and environmental change across all levels of business.

As CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, Arison revolutionized the cruise industry by reducing prices and marketing them to younger, single people. By 1989, cruises could start at just $425 for three days on board with airfare to and from your departure point included.

Achievements and Honors

David Arison is an actor with a distinguished career in the entertainment industry. He’s featured in numerous films such as 20 Weeks, Jane Wants a Boyfriend and Big Words, plus television shows such as Law & Order: SVU and American Horror Story.

He directed a docuseries about his experience working with 8-year-old cancer survivor Tatianna Bernard, and was the recipient of both the Mendez Award from MIFF (a philanthropic award presented to an individual within the entertainment industry who uses their platform for good) and SJFF Pomegranate Lifetime Achievement Award.

Arison is currently a series regular on The Blacklist. He recently narrated The Kite Runner, an NYT bestselling novel that follows real-life stories about friendships spanning cultures and continents.

Personal Life

David Arison is an impact investor and philanthropist, the CEO of The Doing Good Model at the Arison Group, VP of Global Relations for Arison Investments and The Ted Arison Family Foundation, Executive Board Member at Reichman University and Co-Founder of Innovation Africa.

As a renowned businessman, Arison is renowned for his values-based approach to operations. He founded and chairs The Arison Group – which encompasses businesses in finance, real estate, infrastructure, renewable energy sources and water solutions.

He is the grandson of Moshe Arison, who immigrated from Romania to Ottoman Palestine in 1882 and founded Zikhron Ya’akov with his wife Sarah Arison. With Meshulam Riklis he co-founded Carnival Cruise Lines in 1972 – becoming the world’s largest cruise line operator with 46 ships.

Net Worth

David Arison’s net worth has been estimated to be $4.5 billion by Forbes. While he has been hit by the stock price decline of Carnival and losses caused by the NBA lockout, his wealth remains more than double what it was a year earlier.

He inherited a fortune from his father Ted Arison, founder of cruise ship line Carnival Corp. This money has been invested in other businesses such as the Miami Heat basketball team.

Arison has held numerous positions, but his greatest career accomplishment is founding Carnival Cruise Lines. After it failed initially, Arison managed to build it into one of the world’s largest cruise lines with 100 ships operating today. While Arison owns a majority stake in the business, he has delegated daily operation of it to his son Mickey.