When you think of Merlin Entertainments, you might picture iconic attractions like LEGOLAND®, Madame Tussauds, Alton Towers, and SEA LIFE. With around 60 million visitors worldwide each year, Merlin is the second largest entertainment operator in the world and the largest in Europe.
But behind the scenes, Merlin’s data journey wasn’t always as exciting as the visitor experiences they deliver. At Big Data London, Kinnari Ladha, SVP Global Data at Merlin Entertainments, shared the story of how the company turned around its approach to data with partners including Telefónica Tech, moving from a tactical, underfunded function to a true strategic enabler of business transformation.
Setting the Scene: A Challenging Starting Point
Just 18 months ago, Merlin faced a number of hurdles:
- A small, underfunded data team with little direction.
- A data platform that wasn’t fit for purpose due to lack of investment.
- No alignment with business stakeholders, meaning priorities weren’t linked to business value.
- Limited skills, poor morale, and no clear career paths within the data team.
- Tactical rather than strategic use of external partners, with little knowledge-sharing.
In short: there was no strategy, no governance, and no clarity.
Redefining the Data Journey
When Kinnari joined, the vision was clear: build a modern data platform and new operating model that could power Merlin’s transformation strategy.
Working with partners including Telefónica Tech, Merlin reset its partnership approach and created a partner-agnostic delivery model designed to get the best from every collaboration. Key steps included:
- Creating cross-functional Data Product Teams – breaking down silos and enabling true end-to-end delivery.
- Adopting agile principles – delivering in sprints, with visibility of backlogs and throughput.
- Focusing on knowledge-sharing – embedding training, best practices, and vendor support to upskill internal teams.
- Improving governance and communication – regular updates, new communication channels, and more engaging ways to keep stakeholders informed.
- Driving cultural change – aligning data engineers, architects, governance, and partners around shared goals.
This was not just a technology change, it was an organisational and cultural shift towards a product-centric, collaborative way of working.
The Outcomes: Data as a Business Enabler
So, what has Merlin achieved so far?
A Modern Data Platform
- Faster, more consistent delivery of high-quality data.
- Reduced rework and maintenance through standardised patterns and governance.
- A scalable, secure, and compliant foundation for new use cases.
- A single source of truth, centralising critical business data.
Data Product Teams in Action
Merlin’s new data product teams are now delivering tangible business value across domains:
- Guest domain – building a Customer 360 view to enable segmentation, personalisation, and better marketing insights.
- Commerce – using forecasting models to support dynamic ticket pricing and fraud detection.
- Rides & attractions – applying AI to predict ride failures, monitor queue times, and improve guest satisfaction.
- Hospitality & retail – enabling better stock management, upsell models, and improved customer targeting for hotels and retail outlets.
Across all of these, the shift has been from reactive, tactical work to proactive, value-driven use of data and AI.
Lessons Learned and the Power of Partnership
A few key takeaways from Merlin’s journey stand out:
- Strategic partnerships accelerate innovation. Telefónica Tech and other partners weren’t just service providers — they became embedded collaborators, sharing knowledge to upskill the team at Merlin Entertainment and challenging each other to think differently.
- Culture matters as much as technology. Moving from project-based delivery to product-based teams required stakeholder education, buy-in, and clear communication.
- Scalability is key. The new model allows Merlin to flex its use of partners and resources depending on needs, while keeping the core team learning and growing.
Looking Ahead
Merlin’s transformation is still ongoing, but the results so far are clear: a motivated team, a modern data platform, and a culture of collaboration that puts data at the heart of the business.
As Kinnari summed up during the session: success came from bringing people on the journey through communication, show-and-tells, and empowering business users to be part of the story. It’s not just the data team talking about impact anymore… it’s the business itself recognising the value of data.
