Legoland picks head of marketing

Legoland Windsor has appointed Leah Kalboussi as sales and marketing director.

She takes over from Wendy Neal-Smith, who left the theme park at the end of last year to spend more time with her family.

Kalboussi is currently sales director Europe and Asia for Lego. Her appointment suggests a possible change in strategy for the theme park, as Neal-Smith came from a strong packaged goods background.

Neal-Smith was appointed to the position in March 1999 from Duracell, where she was responsible for consumer marketing across Europe. Previously, she held marketing positions for companies including Sainsbury’s, McVitie’s, Tambrands and SmithKline Beecham. Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R won the Lego global brand advertising account in December but has not yet done any work for Legoland Windsor. A spokeswoman confirms that BMP DDB, appointed in March 1997, is no longer working with the theme park.

Legoland Windsor spent &£2.14m on advertising for months October to September 2001 (AC Nielsen/MEAL). Media buying is by Starcom Motive.

Legoland Windsor opened in March 1996 with capacity for 15,000 visitors and the attraction launched an online booking facility in April 1999. The company also owns theme parks in California and Denmark.