Sabrina de Carvalho Leaves Gardaland, Transitioning to Merlin UK
Photo: Courtesy of Gardaland
(eap) Sabrina de Carvalho is moving from her position as Managing Director of the Italian theme park resort Gardaland (operated by Merlin Entertainments) to the role of VP Managing Director UK Attractions within the group. Stefano Cigarini, most recently serving as CEO of Cinecittà World in Rome, will take over as Managing Director of Gardaland Resort.
De Carvalho’s professional career at Merlin began in 2003, when she started in the position of Marketing Director at Germany’s Heide Park Resort. She then served as Head of Midway Germany & Austria, then as Managing Director of Heide Park and finally as Managing Director of Gardaland Resort.
As Senior VP Managing Director UK Attractions, she is looking forward to her new role: “Merlin has created a new regional structure for the USA, UK, EMEA and APAC, and in this new position I am now responsible for all UK attractions in the Merlin portfolio – i.e. all theme parks, Legoland and all gateway attractions such as the London Eye, SeaLife Centre and Madame Tussauds. It’s a big job, but I love challenges,” says de Carvalho.
Stefano Cigarini, who is now taking over the management of Gardaland and thus joining the Merlin Group, can also look back on many years of management experience in the theme park industry. Prior to his time at Cinecittà, Cigarini was Managing Director of Zoomarine Italia, CEO of Rainbow Magicland, COO and Senior Advisor of Dream Island and SVP Entertainment & Events at the sports car brand Ferrari. ■
