Leisure firm announce senior appointment
The firm behind some of the UK’s biggest visitor attractions has appointed a new digital and data officer.
Dorset based Merlin Entertainments, Europe’s largest and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, has announced the appointment of Sarah Venning to the key role.
Merlin Entertainments venues include Alton Towers and Legoland.
Joining the executive team, Sarah will focus on bringing together the key areas in Merlin’s technology, data, and digital capabilities to build a world-class digital strategy and deliver a seamless digital experience for guests and over 30,000 Merlin staff.
Her responsibilities will also include co-leading the business transformation efforts to achieve optimum performance in technical and specialist areas.
Sarah is currently global digital officer at Pret A Manger, and previously held senior roles at the John Lewis Partnership and Heathrow Airport.
She brings with her experience of technology, digital marketing, and commercial management, as well as having particular experience in end-to-end business transformation.
Sarah is passionate about bringing together physical and digital experiences for both guests and teams and is deeply interested in how to build teams and create a strong sense of belonging, and in enabling businesses to take better decisions through harnessing powerful data.
Chief executive Scott O’Neil said: “As Merlin Entertainments begins its next phase of growth across our LEGOLAND Resorts, Resort Theme Parks and Midway attractions around the world, we recognised we needed to add talent that maps to our ambitions.
“Sarah Venning is the type of extraordinary executive who will lead us there. Innovation, creativity, passion, and the discipline to do the heavy lifting are all hallmarks of this company, and a perfect fit for a leader like Sarah.
“Her experience in driving change, attracting talent, building teams and transforming companies will set Merlin on the next step of our trajectory, as our guests look for us to continue to be ahead of the curve on our innovative digital journey. Across all of our 140+ attractions, our focus will be on working with the most exciting brands and IP, delivering the best customer service, and all whilst providing guests with a truly personalised digital experience they have come to expect.”
Sarah said: “Merlin is a company defined by its people, culture and dedication to innovation and I am excited to help drive the next phase of growth. Merlin’s extraordinary global locations will become ever more social, connected, and immersive through the power of digital and data.
“With the whole team, we look forward to designing an incredible next-generation experience for our guests.”
