Vardon picks Fisher to run Sea Life marketing

Vardon Attractions, the company behind the Sea Life centres and the London and York Dungeons, has appointed Mark Fisher as head of marketing and sales.

Fisher, who was formerly group sales controller for the leisure company, takes over from Alexandra Pike, who left the company last year.

He joined Vardon in 1995, having spent two years as business development manager at Alton Towers with responsibility for trade marketing.

In his new role he will oversee the brand marketing of Vardon’s 16-strong UK Sea Life network and their four sister attractions on the Continent, as well as the two Dungeon attractions and the National Seal Sanctuary in Cornwall.

Vardon Attractions, a division of Vardon plc, which also operates bingo, holidays and health and fitness businesses, uses D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles as its advertising agency and the promotions arm of Summerfield Wilmot Keene.

Since 1992, when the Vardon Attractions company was formed, it has increased the number of Sea Life centres from nine to 19, bought the National Seal Sanctuary and opened a wildlife centre called Nature Quest in the New Forest. It now has more than 4 million visitors a year and has plans to open the London Aquarium and a 100m London Zoo Aquarium.