Hazel McGuire named chief marketing officer at Intrepid

Intrepid Travel has named Hazel McGuire its new chief marketing officer to lead the company’s global marketing and growth strategy.

McGuire is currently Intrepid’s general manager, U.K. sales and marketing and her appointment follows an extensive global recruitment campaign.

The role became available following the appointment of former chief customer officer, Leigh Barnes, to president of the Americas. 

McGuire has worked in the travel and transport industries for 20 years and joined Intrepid in August 2022.

She went on to deliver 60 per cent revenue growth in 2023 versus 2019 and more recently led the U.K. team to its biggest month of sales in history in January 2025.

She will officially start in the new role on April 1, 2025 and will report to Intrepid’s 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,” said Thornton in a press release. “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.”

She will remain based in London, UK, where her remit will include global departments including Brand, PR and Communications, Customer and Experiences. The latter is a new addition to the portfolio reflecting the importance of product in the customer journey. 

“This is a dream role, not only in the travel industry but in global business. My goal is to identify the big opportunities that will help us realise Intrepid’s 2030 strategy,” stated McGuire. “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.”

McGuire will build on the foundations laid by Barnes to continue Intrepid’s transition to brand-led marketing, in a bid to grow into a $1 billion business by 2030.

She will also champion Intrepid’s efforts towards ethical marketing and inclusive growth as a certified B Corp. 

Intrepid is experiencing a period of growth, recently announcing its largest acquisition to date in February 2025 with Dutch tour operator Sawadee Reizen.

This comes off the back of a record year of growth and sales in 2024. The full financial and impact results will be published in its Integrated Annual Report in March. 

Intrepid will backfill the general manager, UK sales and marketing role with recruitment to commence immediately. 

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.