At Merlin Entertainments, which includes such attractions as Alton Towers and Madame Tussauds, Colaianni will be a member of the group executive board and be based at the firm's HQ in Poole.

She joins from Hilton Hotels Corporation where she was vice president HR, Europe, responsible for the HR function in a region comprising 180 hotels and more than 20,000 employees, Prior to this, Colaianni held senior HR roles in industries as diverse as telecoms, data hosting and broadband.