Intrepid Travel names new chief marketing officer
After an extensive global search, Intrepid Travel has finally announced its new chief marketing officer.
Succeeding chief customer officer, Leigh Barnes, who is relocating to the US as Intrepid’s new president of the Americas, the new chief marketing officer will be responsible for leading the company’s global marketing and growth strategy.
Hazel McGuire has been named to take on the role, effective April 1.
McGuire has over 20 years of experience in the travel and transport industries, and has been with Intrepid for two-and-a-half years. Currently general manger of UK sales and marketing, she delivered 60% revenue growth in 2023 (vs 2019), and more recently, led the UK team to its biggest month of sales in history in January 2025.
She will remain based in London, with her new remit including the global brand, PR and communications, and customer and experiences departments. She will report to CEO James Thornton.
“Hazel embodies our Intrepid values of ambitious, real, together and impactful and I’m thrilled to promote her to chief marketing officer – a clear reflection of the talent and vision we have within our team,” Thornton said of the appointment.
“Hazel’s depth of experience in the travel industry and her proven success leading our UK business positioned her as the perfect candidate to realise Intrepid’s global growth ambitions. I wish both Hazel and Leigh every success as they transition into their new roles.”
McGuire described the opportunity as a “dream role”, and said her goal is to “identify the big opportunities” that will help the travel company realise its 2030 strategy.
“Leigh Barnes has done an amazing job growing our talented global team and I am committed to continue building on our shared vision to be the best travel company for the world,” she said.
Leigh Barnes and Hazel McGuire
The business has always been purpose-led, but as Natalie Placko, general manager of global brand, previously told Mumbrella, it was never something that was marketed.
“We talked about our product, we talked about our destinations, we talked about our people. We didn’t really talk about our purpose, and we definitely didn’t market it,” she said at last year’s Mumbrella Travel Marketing Summit.
“So, in 2020, we decided we wanted to make that sense of purpose part of our legacy, and how we made it through the pandemic, I feel at the point, it really did rest on brand – we just didn’t know it in the early days.”
Brand marketing saved Intrepid during Covid, and now, as part of its 2030 strategy, it intends to transition more to brand-led marketing, in a bid to grow into a $1 billion business. McGuire will also champion the brand’s efforts towards ethical marketing and inclusive growth as a certified B Corp.
Intrepid will backfill McGuire’s current role with recruitment to commence immediately.
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