Penguin Random House has promoted Thomas Merrington to creative director for Penguin Ventures. Merrington joined Penguin Ventures in 2016 as Peter Rabbit brand manager and head of product development. In his new role, Merrington will set the creative direction for all Penguin Ventures brands by developing new style guides and assets to support licensees, retailers and partners.

Alongside the existing brands and properties, Merrington will also be involved in identifying new brands to add to the ventures portfolio and he will have a focus on developing the live, theatrical and experiential business to ensure that the ventures brands continue to reach new audiences.
 
Merrington says, “Penguin Ventures is going through an incredibly exciting period of growth and I’m thrilled to be a part of its continued evolution. I’m particularly looking forward to working with licensees and partners to build our platform of experiential and immersive brand events, which we see as a crucial part of our consumer-facing strategy. We’re in a unique position as guardians of an archive of original author artwork and manuscripts and I’m excited to explore this further and see what gems it has to offer.”  
 
Since joining the ventures team in January 2016, from his previous role as VP brand and creative at Silvergate Media, Merrington has since spearheaded some of the team’s most ambitious projects during the Beatrix Potter 150th anniversary year including the stunning Festival of Light at Longleat, the magical Beatrix Potter window at Fenwicks for Christmas last year and the brand new Peter Rabbit Playground at Willows Farm which launched at Easter 2016. The anniversary campaign won a gold at the Progressive Preschool Awards, while the Peter Rabbit brand was awarded the 'Best classic property' at the Licensing Awards in 2016.
 
Susan Bolsover, head of licensing and consumer products says, “Thomas marries together a creative flair with a keen commercial eye which has been invaluable in our growth and commercial success as we take our brands into new and exciting areas. His incredible work on the Potter 150th Anniversary campaign was the perfect way to showcase his talents and we look forward to seeing how Thomas works his creative magic across our other brands.”