Rising Above – Stelian Clinci

Stelian Clinci

CASINO MANAGER

I started in the casino business in 2009 back home in Romania as a trainee dealer and I found myself pursuing a casino career even though I have a degree as a sport instructor.

After a couple of years working at home, I decided to apply for Carnival Corporation as a dealer knowing that I would love to travel, see the world, meet people from around the world, and get paid while doing so.

I’ve been working with Carnival Corporation for the past 12 years and my first ship was Carnival Splendor back in 2011 where I started as a dealer. I loved it and enjoyed it from the very first day. I was one of the first dealers to be chosen as part of the roving premier team program under the guidance of Troy Kennedy and this marked the start of my career progression. Looking back, this was my turning point where after 3 years of roving I decided that I wanted to move up and start the training for Assistant Manager, mostly based off of my experience from the roving team.

I could say that one of the most influential people in my life was my father who once told me, “You always have something to learn from the people in your life, either good or bad, you can choose to do it or not” and I guess I guided myself through the years with this saying in my mind. Workwise, I could say that a few people have influenced me during this time and the first one is Troy Kennedy which I had the amazing opportunity to work with him and learned from him which I will always be grateful for. Also, Petr Bajer and Thomas Davidson. I had a chance to work with them, and I always appreciated their honesty and how they can get the best out of a person.

What makes me the most empowered within my role are the people which I work with onboard and the shoreside team as well. They are there whenever you need any help or guidance.