Merlin Entertainments | Executive team

Fiona Eastwood was appointed CEO in February 2025.

This follows nearly a decade of experience at the business, including most recently as Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for Gateway attractions globally, encompassing the existing estate, new openings and franchise operations, and Merlin's Resort Theme Parks across the UK (Alton Towers Resort, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures Resort) and Europe (Gardaland Resort in Italy and Heide Park Resort in Germany).

Having joined Merlin in 2015 as Global Marketing Director for Gateway Attractions, Fiona was responsible for driving all aspects of brand strategy and marketing across an expanding global portfolio of brands.

Prior to this, she worked as Managing Director of Consumer Products at BBC Studios, leading the successful turnaround of the division through organisational restructuring, digital transformation and international growth.

In addition to her responsibilities at Merlin, Fiona plays a leading role in the wider sector: both as a non-executive director of UKHospitality and as a member of the UK Government’s Visitor Economy Advisory Council.

She also serves as a trustee of Only a Pavement Away, a charity supporting people facing homelessness – along with prison leavers and veterans – get into the hospitality, pub and restaurant industry.

Karim Hajjar joined Merlin as Chief Financial Officer in February 2024.

Karim oversees all aspects of the Finance function, including financial management, planning, reporting, analysis, taxation, cash management, treasury, procurement. He plays a key role in strategic financial decision-making, such as capital allocation, investment decisions, budgeting, and risk management. In addition, he oversees Mergers & Acquisitions, New Business Development and property.

Karim has over three decades of financial experience, including ten years as Group Financial Officer of publicly listed chemicals Group, Solvay S.A. During this time Karim was an instrumental member of the leadership team that upgraded the portfolio and spearheaded record financial performance by structurally improving profitability, cash generation and returns, integrating ESG to ensure the sustainability of performance.

He has also held various senior positions with Shell and Tarmac Group, with expertise in M&A and capital market transactions, cost and cash management.

Karim’s career commenced at Grant Thornton, where he began as a chartered accountant in London and went on to become one of the firm's youngest partners.

Matt Jowett
Chief Legal Officer & Head of ESG

Matt Jowett has served in his current role since January 2025, having previously been Chief Corporate Officer, Group General Counsel and Company Secretary, during his time since joining Merlin in 2016. He is responsible for legal and contract activities, along with health, safety, security and sustainability.

Matt also oversees Merlin’s ESG Strategy, and the business’s relationship with the SEA LIFE Trust (of which he is a trustee). He is also a trustee of Merlin’s Magic Wand, Merlin’s children charity partner.

Matt has held a number of Executive Committee roles within publicly listed companies including General Counsel and Company Secretary at DS Smith PLC, Group General Counsel and Company Secretary of VT Group plc and Group General Counsel of RMC Group plc. He began his career at law firm Linklaters.

Craig Inglis joined Merlin in June 2024.

As Chief Customer Officer, Craig is responsible for the business’s brand, marketing and communications, with a focus on elevating Merlin’s global brand presence to drive guest engagement across a diverse portfolio attractions. He also has oversight for insights, e-commerce, digital marketing, content creation and brand partnerships.

Before joining Merlin, Craig held leadership roles spanning marketing, digital and customer experience at household brands like TUI, Virgin, John Lewis, Sage and The Entertainer Group.

Craig is perhaps most well-known for leading an overhaul of John Lewis’s customer and marketing strategies, including moving the brand to a more emotional positioning. The campaigns launched during Craig’s tenure at John Lewis, particularly at Christmas, became much anticipated cultural moments, delivering market-beating effectiveness and winning numerous awards, including Cannes Creative Lions, the Marketing Society, and IPA Effectiveness awards.

More recently, he spearheaded global campaigns at Sage and drove transformation at The Entertainer Group as Chief Customer Officer. Craig is a Fellow of the Marketing Academy and non-executive Global Chair of The Marketing Society.

John Jakobsen
Chief Strategic Portfolio Development Officer

John Jakobsen was appointed Chief Strategic Portfolio Development Officer in January 2025, having previously been the Chief Operating Officer for the LEGOLAND® Resorts Group.

John provides oversight of all LEGO® strategic priorities and opportunities. He is also responsible for LEGOLAND Development which include the opening of LEGOLAND Resorts in China, new scale IP as well as Merlin Management Services.

Prior to running the global LEGOLAND Resorts operation, John was Merlin’s Chief New Openings Officer, responsible for all new attraction openings and the integration of acquisitions. Having joined Merlin’s Senior Management Team as part of the acquisition of LEGOLAND Parks in 2005, he oversaw both the continued development of the Group's existing LEGOLAND Parks into successful Short Break Resorts for families with young children; alongside the identification and planning for new LEGOLAND Parks around the world including the opening of LEGOLAND Resorts in Germany, Malaysia, Dubai, Florida, Japan, New York and Korea.

Prior to Merlin, John started his career at the LEGO Group following a business degree, and subsequently took on the challenge to expand the LEGOLAND franchise outside of its homeland in Denmark. Having first worked on projects in the UK (LEGOLAND Windsor which opened in 1996), he project managed the first US LEGOLAND Park, based in California; before moving into general park management first in Germany and then back in California.

Paul Moreton joined the Merlin Executive Committee in January 2023, when he was appointed as Chief Development Officer, with responsibility for Merlin Magic Making – the business’s in-house creative and project delivering team.

He has oversight of bringing brand briefs to life by creating and delivering compelling attractions, rides and attractions – as well as LEGO models and all Madame Tussauds wax figures. Paul also has responsibility for third party IP relationships and product innovations to enhance the guest experience. He recently secured the partnership with Minecraft to develop attractions globally.

Paul has over thirty years of experience in the attractions and TV industry, ranging from strategic through to commercial and creative positions. Having started his career selling balloons at Alton Towers in 1991, he went on to head up marketing for Madame Tussauds and launched The London Eye before taking an opportunity at UKTV where he was responsible for the creation of three successful new TV channels.

Paul re-joined Merlin Entertainments in 2012 in the position of Group Creative Director. He has been the driving force behind the development of many iconic Merlin attractions, including the global rollout of Madame Tussauds, leading the launch of the New York location.

Emma Pankhurst was appointed as Chief People Officer in March 2025.

This follows eight years at the business, including as Global People Director and Global HR Operations Director.

As Chief People Officer, Emma heads the global People function, leading the development and execution of the strategy to deliver a world class employee experience which fosters a sense of belonging. This includes responsibility for talent acquisition and learning & development. She also oversees how the business recognises and rewards people – helping ensure this has a positive impact on the guest experience.

Before joining Merlin, Emma held HR leadership roles at companies including Sodexo, Santander UK and Marks and Spencer.

Sarah Venning
Chief Digital & Data Officer

Sarah Venning joined Merlin as Chief Digital & Data Officer in September 2023. Through this role, she is responsible for 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 both Merlin’s guests and employees across the globe. She also has oversight of data governance and analytics.

Prior to joining Merlin, Sarah was Global Chief Digital Officer at Pret A Manger, and has also held senior roles at the John Lewis Partnership and Heathrow Airport. Her strong career path has given her a rich 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 employees and is interested in how to harness and build a strong sense of belonging and inclusion through harnessing powerful data.

Executive team

Fiona Eastwood

Karim Hajjar

Matt Jowett

Craig Inglis

John Jakobsen

Paul Moreton

Emma Pankhurst

Sarah Venning

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