In 12 years as managing general partner of the Miami HEAT, Micky Arison has guided the franchise to unprecedented heights, including bringing South Florida its first NBA championship in 2006.

As the leader of the most successful cruise operation in the world, the 58-year-old Arison and his family have always been involved with the team. Although his father, Ted, brought the NBA franchise to South Florida in 1988, it has only been since Micky took control in 1995 that the HEAT has evolved into one of the NBA's top organizations.

Arison, who was elected Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors in October of 2005, brought to the HEAT the same standard of excellence that propelled Carnival Corporation & plc into a global vacation leader. One of Arison's first moves was to dramatically re-shape the franchise by hiring Pat Riley, one of the NBA's all-time winningest coaches, as Miami's President and Head Coach.

Arison and Riley acquired franchise cornerstones Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Dwyane Wade and perennial All-Star Shaquille O'Neal. Two years ago, they strengthened their roster further by signing All-Star Gary Payton as a free agent and making a blockbuster 13-player trade, the largest in NBA history, in which they acquired James Posey, Jason Williams and All-Star Antoine Walker, all key cogs in Miami's title run.

Together, Arison and Riley have built an organization that is considered one of the NBA's elite and most competitive franchises. In addition to winning the 2006 NBA championship, with Arison and Riley at the helm Miami has made the playoffs in 10 of the last 12 seasons, winning seven division titles, one Eastern Conference championship and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals three times. The seven division titles the HEAT has captured over the last 12 seasons is the league high over that span.

Arison showed his commitment to the fans of South Florida when he worked successfully with Miami-Dade public officials to keep the heart and soul of the HEAT in downtown Miami . The result of his diligence was an innovative public-private partnership that together built the county-owned state-of-the-art AmericanAirlines Arena that fans enjoy and the HEAT calls home.

Arison grew up in the cruise business and spent the better part of two decades learning it from the ground up before becoming chairman in 1990. Arison followed his education with a two-year stint in the Carnival Cruise Lines sales department. He became reservations manager in 1974, and took over the post of vice president of passenger traffic in 1976, succeeding to the presidency in 1979. In 1990, he was appointed chairman of the company's board of directors.

In 1987, the company went public, generating $400 million for future expansion. As Carnival continued its growth through the traditional avenue of new ship construction, Arison also sought to expand the company's cruise operations by entering new market segments of the industry.

In 1989, Arison engineered the acquisition of the venerable Holland America Line, giving Carnival entry to the premium segment of the cruise industry. Arison also led the company's effort in the acquisition of ultra-luxury leader Seabourn Cruise Line, as well as Cunard Line, operator of the largest ocean liner in the world, the 150,000-ton Queen Mary 2, and Costa Cruises, Europe 's number one cruise company.

Arison also spearheaded Carnival Corporation's acquisition of P&O Princess Cruises, one of the most recognizable names in travel, in a deal valued at approximately $8.2 billion. The combined Carnival/Princess group, named Carnival Corporation & plc, is the largest cruise operator by far, operating 82 ships totaling 154,000 lower berths. The Carnival/Princess entity is truly a global vacation leader with its stock trading on both the New York and London exchanges

Under his direction, Carnival Corporation & plc has grown into the largest, most successful cruise operator in the world. Arison's keen attention to marketing and growth priorities has also increased revenues from approximately $600 million in 1988 to more than $ 11.8 billion in 2006.

Today, as chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc, he oversees diversified travel and tourism holdings, including a portfolio of cruise ships serving virtually every market segment -- from contemporary to ultra-luxury -- as well as leading tour operators and hotel chains in Alaska and the Yukon Territory .

The Arison family and Carnival Corporation & plc is devoted to South Florida and over the years has supported a variety of arts-related and community service organizations. Most recently, Carnival Corporation & plc became the naming sponsor for the new Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami with a multi-million-dollar donation.

Other organizations supported by the Arison family and Carnival include the New World Symphony, National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, Miami Children's Museum, Jackson Memorial Foundation, Miami City Ballet, Miami Art Museum, American Red Cross, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, United Way, Community Partnership for Homeless and many others.

Arison's contributions to the cruise industry have been recognized by a wide range of international organizations. He has been named an “Officer of the French Legion of Honor” – the country's highest civilian honor – by French President Jacques Chirac, received a honorary doctorate in naval architecture from the University of Genoa, and has been awarded the Decoration of Commander, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland by the President of the Republic of Finland.