Mandai Wildlife Group names new CMO as Irene Lin checks into MBS

Mandai Wildlife Group has named Jean Choi its chief sales and marketing officer as Irene Lin leaves to join Marina Bay Sands (MBS) as SVP and CMO, resort marketing. Lin (pictured left) joined Mandai Wildlife Group, previously known as Wildlife Reserves Singapore, in 2020 from Shangri-La Group.

Choi reports to deputy CEO and chief commercial officer Benjamin Tan. She is responsible for the design, planning, and implementation of all sales, and marketing activities, developing new immersive paid experiences, international market development, as well as optimisation of outcomes. This will span business as usual as well as new and seasonal revenue initiatives, membership development and engagement initiatives, events and programming, in-park and out-of-park activations, as well as design and creative production.

"I’m excited to reconnect with and re-engage our partners in all our key markets again, as travel restrictions continue to lift. It’s been a fulfilling five years since I joined Mandai Wildlife Group, and I continue to be inspired by dedicated colleagues working towards the same cause and purpose as we connect people to wildlife and inspire all to take action in protecting our planet," she told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

Choi added that she is very excited with what lies ahead as Mandai Wildlife Reserve transforms into a unique wildlife and nature destination.

Choi was most recently VP, sales and experience development for the Group where she led experience development, international sales, corporate sales, partnership, business development, event sales and experience reservations, according to her LinkedIn. She was also head of business development. Prior to Mandai Wildlife Group, she was with Crown Resorts, Resorts World Sentosa, Minor International, and Marriott. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to MBS for comment.

Last October, Wildlife Reserves Singapore rebranded to Mandai Wildlife Group to encompass both the zoological park operations and the ongoing rejuvenation work at the Mandai precinct. The newly integrated destination will house all of Singapore's wildlife parks along with a visual refresh for the parks. Along with the group's new corporate identity, a new "Masterbrand Mandai", which embodies the passion and commitment for a thriving, biodiverse planet, was also unveiled. The new brand world is inspired by nature and the animals under its care, which continue to spark a sense of wonder amongst guests. The Secret Little Agency and Spark Foundry currently handle creative and media duties for the Group respectively.

Meanwhile, Lin said in a LinkedIn post that she was grateful for "an incredible two years of learning" and thriving through the pandemic despite having zero tourism. "Throughout it all, our attitude was always to try, to resolve and give it our best. I will miss my teammates, the purposeful culture and incredible dedication to nature at Mandai dearly," she said.

Lin added that she looks forward to her new role at MBS, where she will be part of "the growth of another major Singapore icon". She said: "With a SG$3.3 billion expansion slated to be completed in 2026 and a commitment to expand the non-gaming components of the resort, I’d invite everyone to watch this landmark and space."

During her time at Mandai Wildlife Group, Lin led the design, planning, and implementation of all marketing and membership activities, as well as the tracking, measurement, and optimisation of outcomes for the company, her LinkedIn stated.

Prior to that, Lin was executive VP, global marketing at Shangri-La Group and, P, digital, loyalty and portfolio marketing, APAC at Marriott International. She also previously worked in marketing roles at hotels such as Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, The Westin Seattle and Delta Whistler Village Suites.

Aside from the SG$3.3 billion expansion, Las Vegs Corporation's chairman and CEO, Rob Goldstein, also announced during its earnings call in January that MBS will undergo a SG$1.35 billion renovation to introduce a luxurious new suite product to the resort. "The programme will meaningfully expand our room suite offerings and significantly enhance our appeal to premium customers," Goldstein said. 

Patrick Dumont, president and COO, added that the company wanted to reinvest in MBS to enhance its suite of products and some of the other amenities that it has for its customers while it has some downtime. "We're really looking forward to investing this amount of capital into Marina Bay Sands to create a level of suite product we never had there before, both in terms of account and in terms of quality," he added. MBS reported US$1.37 billion in net revenue for the full year in 2021, a jump from US$1.26 billion in 2020.

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