Director of Marketing and Digital
The new Director of Marketing and Digital has been announced as Jill Walker, who will join our team on 21 October 2024. Read more.
This directorate plays a key role in delivering our responsible tourism ambition. It has a strategic focus on inclusive and sustainable growth.
Through a data and insight-led approach, we ensure that Scotland is discoverable in key markets. We target the channels visitors are using for travel inspiration, planning, and booking to drive the visitor economy.
Key priorities include:
- regional and seasonal visitor spread, resulting in a positive impact in communities and destinations across Scotland
- working collaboratively with industry stakeholders
- inspiring and influencing visitors to make responsible choices
- ensuring diversity and inclusion across all our platforms and activities
- promoting the natural and cultural heritage of Scotland and the protection of it for future generations
- supporting businesses to reach international markets by providing more of the right products and experiences bookable in market through their channels of choice
Brand and Global Marketing
Led by Cat Leaver, the department consists of four teams: Design, Multimedia, Global Marketing, and PR. Each team plays a pivotal role in driving responsible growth of the visitor economy through:
- guardianship of our destination brand
- close working with industry and sectors
- our associated marketing activation, including partnership marketing activity for both business-to-consumer and business-to-business
The team is responsible for:
- providing strategic leadership
- innovation across all elements of brand identity, creative, and marketing delivery
Through collaboration and in-house expertise, the teams also deliver strategic projects and programmes. This is both across our organisation and with wider strategic partners. The latter includes leading on our involvement in the Brand Scotland partnership.
Business Development and Intermediary Marketing
Led by Denise Hill, this department focuses on ensuring that demand for Scotland is converted into actual visits. It makes sure visitors are able to find the products and experiences they are looking for via the booking channels they prefer and trust.
The team is focused on:
- growing Scotland’s share of the global travel market by understanding the needs of consumers so that businesses can develop products to meet future demand
- working with sector and destination partners, deliver a programme of tailored product and place-focused support, including webinars, workshops, platform and channel introductions
- providing one-to-many, free to access support and advice, including specialist inclusive and net zero support
- partnership working with travel intermediaries and businesses to drive forward the decarbonisation of the supply chain
- helping Scottish tourism businesses to be travel trade ready and to internationalise
- partnership work with airlines and ferry partners to ensure access is maintained and capacity further developed to support growth from current and future markets
Business Events
Neil Brownlee leads the business events team. The team's aim is to drive Scotland’s economic and social progress through business events. These include conventions, corporate meetings, incentive groups and product launches.
The focus of the team is to:
- secure business events for Scotland from around the world, notably from North America, Germany, France, Spain and the rest of the UK.
- help attract business events which are related to Scotland’s key growth sectors. These include life sciences, fintech, digital, energy and food and drink.
- work in partnership with the city convention bureaus of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and Aberdeen
- work with key venues, hotels and academic centres of excellence
Digital Delivery
Led by Allan Henderson, this department consists of the following specialist technical teams:
- User Experience (UX)
- Solutions Architecture
- Project & Programme Management
- Web Operations
Together, these teams cover the complete software development lifecycle. They work in cross-functional Agile teams within the Scrum methodology.
This department delivers a portfolio of strategic digital programmes across VisitScotland. This includes the flagship websites visitscotland.com and VisitScotland.org. They work along with marketing, data, events, and business process improvement projects.
Performance Marketing
Led by Leanne Mallon, this department is formed of digital and data marketing experts across:
- content
- social media and influencer marketing
- performance media
- search engine optimisation
- email marketing
- marketing automation
They're responsible for the planning, delivery, optimisation, and performance of our digital channels. The department also delivers a programme of continuous marketing activity. This results in the creation of integrated visitor journeys to build engagement and advocacy.