Marisa Thalberg is venturing from the hardware store to the deep blue sea. SeaWorld Entertainment has named the former Lowe’s CMO its chief marketing and communications officer, effective April 24.
Thalberg will be responsible for brand and marketing strategies that increase visitation, drive revenue and elevate the company’s conservation mission. SeaWorld Entertainment has 12 parks, including the namesake SearWorld, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place.
Thalberg was previously the first executive vice president, chief brand and marketing officer for Lowe’s Companies, a position she held from 2020-2022. There she was responsible for marketing the home improvement store, where she helped drive record sales and brand growth. Thalberg left the retailer in September of last year as part of a broader reorganization.
Prior to Lowe’s, Thalberg was global chief brand officer at Taco Bell, where she helped drive growth and interest in the chain, assisting Taco Bell’s rapid international expansion.
“Marisa’s experience with some of the most recognized retail and F&B brands, coupled with her strong history of driving revenue growth through holistic marketing strategies, represents a great opportunity to better showcase our iconic brands and the passionate work we do with conservation,” said Marc Swanson, chief executive officer of SeaWorld Entertainment in a statement. “We are thrilled to have her join our leadership team.”
From 2007-2015, Thalberg was the head of corporate digital marketing for The Estée Lauder Companies where she was responsible for the digital/social marketing and content strategy. In 2002, she founded Executive Moms, an organization created to connect and support professionals who are also mothers. She also held positions at Unilever, Sure Fit and Revlon, though she began her career on the agency side at Saatchi & Saatchi and J. Walter Thompson.
“As someone who has moved across different industries, I do think it helps to make sure you really plug in,” Thalberg told Adweek in a 2020 interview. “In my previous tenure at Taco Bell, it was retail in a way that you have stores, physical locations, and hundreds of thousands of people working in those locations. So, taking the time to see those environments in action, to talk to people, to be really collaborative. At the end of the day, what I’ve experienced now at multiple points in my career, oftentimes it’s your front lines.”
Thalberg currently serves as a strategic advisor to the venture capital firm Composite Ventures and is on the boards of the Blumenthal Center of the Arts and the MMA.
