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Merlin Entertainments has appointed former Sage marketing boss Craig Inglis as its first CMO, as the company looks to “elevate” its position as a global brand.

Inglis will be joining the executive leadership team on 17 June. She will be responsible for leading Merlin's efforts to engage customers across four continents through transformative initiatives. The company, known for attractions like Legoland and Madame Tussauds, sees the creation of the CMO role as a major step in its global growth.

Fiona Eastwood, the chief operating officer for resort theme parks and gateway attractions, emphasizes the importance of the CMO role. She states that it will play a key part in redefining the Merlin brand and the brands represented in their attractions.

In the future, Inglis will transform how Merlin markets to customers by challenging, driving, and revolutionizing their strategies.

The incoming CMO, describing himself as "delighted" to join Merlin, found it an easy decision to take on a role with a purpose to "create joy".

Inglis expresses excitement about joining Merlin, as their commitment to innovation matches his passion for reimagining brands through creativity. He looks forward to pushing boundaries, challenging conventions, and creating captivating experiences for guests and audiences worldwide.

Having recently served as chief customer officer at The Entertainer Group, Inglis currently holds the position of non-executive global chair at The Marketing Society.

He was the executive vice-president of global brand and integrated marketing at Sage until September. After 16 months in the role, he left the B2B financial tech firm.

Before his time at Sage, Inglis worked at John Lewis for over 12 years. Starting as head of brand communications, he eventually became the customer director. In this role, he oversaw the entire customer experience and managed a £200m marketing budget.

Before working at John Lewis, Inglis worked at Virgin Trains for ten years, where he eventually became the sales and marketing director. He started his career as a product manager at Thomson Holidays.

Merlin recently made the decision to hire its first Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) due to challenges in returning to pre-pandemic visitor numbers at its 141 locations around the world.

Last year, the business welcomed 62.1 million visitors, which was lower than the 67 million visitors in 2019. Despite this, revenues increased by 8.4% to £2.1 billion in 2023. However, the company reported a pre-tax loss of £214 million due to the impact of the pandemic on its Legoland attractions in New York and South Korea.

In addition, the entertainment giant announced its plans to implement a new "intuitive" dynamic pricing model at its top 20 global attractions by the end of the year. This means that visitors may be charged more to visit during peak summer weekends compared to rainy off-season weekdays.

Editor's P/S:

Merlin Entertainments' appointment of Craig Inglis as its first CMO is a significant step in the company's global growth strategy. Inglis's extensive experience in brand marketing and customer engagement will be invaluable as Merlin seeks to elevate its brand and drive innovation across its diverse portfolio of attractions.

The creation of the CMO role underscores Merlin's commitment to enhancing the customer experience and redefining its brand identity. Inglis's expertise in transformative marketing initiatives will be crucial in developing and executing strategies that engage customers on a global scale. His passion for creativity and innovation will undoubtedly lead to captivating experiences for guests and audiences worldwide.