Roma Swords-McDonnell

Roma Swords-McDonnell spearheads creative ideation and oversees the development of design output for commercial experiences across all Merin Global brands, with a specific focus on new business products and concepts.

As global creative director for immersive brand experiences, she leads and forms multidisciplinary teams to craft immersive brand experiences, including software developers, game designers, project managers, architects, interior designers, fabricators, and global vendors.

Swords-McDonnell designs global creative strategies to deliver seamless journeys with moments of surprise, creating immersive brand experiences that reflect cultural differences while achieving commercial goals. She enjoys using immersive technologies to excite audiences and engage business stakeholders.

She was part of the team responsible for the groundbreaking Legoland Shanghai Resort, which opened in summer 2025. The latest addition to Merlin Entertainments’ global portfolio of Lego-themed attractions, it seamlessly combines immersive storytelling, interactive rides, and hands-on play, all inspired by the iconic Lego brick.

The creative team recognised that China is a digitally-savvy audience, where digital integration and interactivity are essential to the guest experience. However, at its heart, the Legoland experience is all about enabling kids to get hands-on with Lego bricks. “What we’ve tried to do is elevate that,” said Swords-McDonnell, speaking to blooloop.

“We’ve taken classic creativity and just enhanced it using technology in meaningful ways."

She added:

"We’ve got amazing Lego humour, and we asked: how does tech enable us to do that as a tool? It shouldn’t just be about enhancements. It should elevate our storytelling.”