Keith Thomas

Keith is Chief Executive of Petersham Group, a company he co-founded with Jonathan Rounce in 2003. He has over 30 years of experience working across the Experience Economy, and has been responsible for the development and management of many successful leisure businesses, cultural destinations and visitor attractions,

Keith is widely known for his experience and knowledge of project development and operational management across the Experience Economy. His career in the sector started in the mid-1980s, managing a series of visitor attractions before taking on responsibility as Development Director for the roll-out of Sea Life Centre aquariums and other visitor attractions across the UK and Continental Europe for Vardon Attractions (now Merlin Entertainments). Going on to join London-based consultancy, Grant Leisure Group, he worked internationally on projects as diverse as International Expos, Theme Parks and Zoos before establishing Petersham Group in 2003, where he and his colleagues have completed over 90 consulting projects across the world for clients.

Assignments include feasibility studies and business planning, concept development, operational management, fundraising, strategic plans and restructuring.

Keith is also Managing Director of reefLIVE Ltd. established to design and bring to market an aquarium concept for a 21st Century audience. Their first project, in Belfast, recently secured planning permission and is anticipated on site next year.

Amongst many other projects undertaken for Petersham Group, highlights have included:

• ‘Frameless‘ by Immersive Galleries, London: Providing business planning & managing booking / CMS tender for new digital arts attraction, due to open in the West End in October 2022
• ‘Afunda O Barco’ , Algarve, Portugal. Business planning & concept development for a new day-visit dive resort, to be located in the sea over 10 new artificial reefs based on sinking repurposed naval ships.
• Guide Dogs for the Blind (UK): Business & operational planning for the development of a new national visitor centre for one of the UK’s leading charitable trusts
• Delivering a Feasibility study for a ‘Madame Tussauds-style’ waxworks attraction for leading leisure and real estate developer/ operator, Vingroup in Phu Quoc, Vietnam;
• Master planning the leisure and entertainment elements of Il Galala Sokhna, a new luxury resort being developed on the Al-Sokhna coast in Egypt.

Keith has undertaken many projects from concept, through development, to launch and beyond, and is particularly experienced in the organisational and contractual structuring of development projects and with the associated procurement arrangements that need to be put in place. These are vital areas in the successful delivery of projects, both in terms of time and budget, and Keith’s experience in this area is therefore widely sought.

Regularly invited to speak at leisure industry conferences, his views are much sought by colleagues in the sector and he regularly blogs on leading industry websites such as Blooloop . He is a guest lecturer for the postgraduate MA Tourism Business at the University of Exeter, teaching the consultancy module of the course.

Testimonials