HR Director announcement - Final Merlin Online 050210
5th February 2010
WELCOME TO NEW GROUP HR DIRECTOR
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Tea Colaianni to the role of Merlin Group Human Resources Director, with effect from the end of February.
Tea joins us from Hilton Hotels Corporation, where she was Vice President Human Resources, Europe, responsible for the HR function in a region with over 20,000 employees, 180 hotels and operating in 26 countries. Prior to this she held a number of senior HR roles in companies operating across Europe, covering industries as diverse as telecommunications and data hosting/broadband.
As you may be able to tell from her name, Tea is Italian by birth and started her career in employment law before moving into broader commercial HR management. She has lived in England for 11 years with her husband and two young sons.
Tea will be based in Poole, and will sit on the Executive Board. Talking to Merlin Online she said, ‘Merlin is the most dynamic and exciting company in the global leisure market today, and I am very much looking forward to joining the team. I am also very keen to get out into the attractions and meet as many of you as possible. My new job is a huge hit with my family, especially my sons, who are great fans of LEGOLAND and the London Eye in particular!’
Undoubtedly this is a great time for Tea to join the company, and equally her wealth of international experience will be invaluable to Merlin as we continue our dynamic growth strategy.
Commenting Nick Varney said: ‘Merlin has grown very fast. We now have 60 attractions across 13 countries and 3 continents; 8 more already in development for 2010/2011; and almost 15000 staff worldwide. It is imperative that we have a forward-thinking, innovative and added value HR structure in place which supports the business growth needs, and ensures we provide both world class people development strategies and the very best opportunities in the industry. I am excited about Tea’s appointment as I am sure she will drive excellence across the human resources agenda in line with our vision and values.’