VisitBritain marketer jumps to Tourism South East

VisitBritain marketing director Michael Bedingfield is leaving to join Tourism South East as chief executive.

He replaces Bob Collier at Tourism South East and joins at the start of June.

His departure leaves VisitBritain, which recently restructured and handed the remit to market England to the newly created standalone body VistEngland, without a chief executive or marketing director.

Bedingfield joined VisitBritain as head of marketing for the Enjoy England department in 2003 and has overseen a number of campaigns and agency appointments. He is a former head of brand marketing at P&O Cruises and took the position of marketing director at VisitBritain last September.

Former VisitBritain chief executive Tom Wright left in November to head up the yet-to-be named new charity being formed by Age Concern and Help The Aged.