John Jakobsen joined the Lego Group after completing a business degree, charged with expanding this unique park concept outside of its native Denmark. After the launch of Legoland Windsor near London in 1996, he moved into general park management with new openings in Germany and California.
In 2005, Jakobsen joined the senior management team at Merlin Entertainments when it acquired Legoland Parks. He has been responsible for developing these and newer parks in Florida, Malaysia, Dubai and Japan. Merlin has also leveraged the Legoland name to develop a global network of indoor attractions called Lego Discovery Centres.
As chief operating officer, Jakobsen heads up Legoland Resorts Group. He is responsible for all new and existing Legoland Resorts globally, supporting Merlin’s dynamic growth plans.