Intrepid appoints Hazel McGuire as CMO

March 2025

Following extensive global recruitment campaign, Intrepid promotes exceptional internal talent and former UK General Manager to lead ambitious global marketing strategy.

Intrepid Travel has named Hazel McGuire its new Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for leading the company’s global marketing and growth strategy and ambition to become a global iconic brand.  

McGuire is currently Intrepid’s General Manager, UK 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.  

She will officially start in the new role on 1 April 2025 and will report to Intrepid’s CEO James Thornton. 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.  

McGuire has worked in the travel and transport industries for 20 years and joined Intrepid in August 2022. She went on to deliver 60% revenue growth in 2023 vs. 2019 and more recently led the UK team to its biggest month of sales in history in January 2025. 

“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 James Thornton, CEO.  

“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,” he added.  

Commenting on her appointment, McGuire said: “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.” 

“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 $1bn 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 rapid growth and announced 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. Its 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.