Launching a global brand in the middle of a pandemic when your revenue is in freefall is just one of the ways this marketing and customer leader exhibited his deep believe in purpose-led marketing that drives long-term business results.

At a time when the global travel industry was in freefall, Leigh Barnes made the kind of decision most CMOs would balk at: he launched Intrepid Travel’s first global brand campaign - in the middle of a pandemic. 

For Barnes, who has been with Intrepid for more than 15 years and currently serves as Chief Customer Officer, the move wasn’t just bold - it was a reflection of his deep belief in purpose-led marketing, long-term brand building, and doing business the right way.

Reporting directly to the CEO and leading a team of 177 people, Barnes has helped transform Intrepid from a nimble adventure operator into one of the most respected responsible travel brands in the world. 

Under his marketing leadership, Intrepid has grown its global revenue to A$626 million in FY24, drawing more than 75,000 travellers from ANZ alone. With a unique mix of commercial acumen and people-first thinking, Barnes doesn’t just lead marketing - he leads change across the entire organisation.

Effective marketing strategy

Following the pandemic, Barnes led a strategic pivot from short-term, performance-heavy marketing to a brand-led strategy that aligned with Intrepid’s purpose. Intrepid’s marketing strategy in recent years has been defined by bold, values-driven campaigns that blend purpose with performance. 

Campaigns like ‘Good Trips Only’ (GTO) and ‘Only Intrepid’ (OI) delivered emotional storytelling, global reach, and measurable results - such as 41 per cent growth in online revenue and a 55 per cent surge in global brand search. The campaigns also reasserted Intrepid’s leadership in responsible travel and helped drive 21 per cent year-on-year customer growth.

In 2023, the GTO campaign demonstrated a clear commitment to sustainable travel, showcasing trips that positively impact travellers, local communities, and the planet. With over 500 creative assets deployed across TV, digital, out-of-home, and social media platforms, the campaign cut through globally and served to reinforce Intrepid’s core purpose and ethical positioning in the travel sector.

Building on that success, the 2024 OI campaign became the largest and most ambitious in the company’s history. With nearly 1000 assets spanning TV, print, digital, and out-of-home, the campaign achieved standout visibility through placements in globally recognised locations such as Times Square, London buses, and Sydney’s Bondi Junction. 

“This campaign firmly positioned Intrepid as a leader in responsible travel and aimed to elevate the unique and emotionally rich experiences and moments you can only have with Intrepid,” Barnes says. 

These campaigns were not only brand-building exercises - they were instrumental to Intrepid’s post-pandemic business recovery. 

GTO alone contributed to a 41 per cent growth in online revenue and a 34 per cent uplift in brand demand search. Together, the campaigns successfully achieved key marketing objectives: differentiating Intrepid in a crowded market, deepening global brand awareness, and directly driving bookings through strong emotional and purpose-led storytelling.

Additionally, the GTO campaign delivered record-breaking sales of $4.7 million, reinforcing the commercial strength of purpose-led messaging. The follow-up OI campaign in 2024 drove a 55 per cent year-on-year increase in global brand search volume as of January 2025, along with a 21 per cent uplift in aided brand awareness. 

In the ANZ market, Intrepid climbed to 4th place - surpassing its goal of reaching the top five from a previous 6th position - while achieving 21 per cent year-on-year customer growth and a 27 per cent surge in bookings, significantly outperforming campaign KPIs.

Discerning decision making

Certainly, when cashflow was tight and the future uncertain, Barnes rebalanced Intrepid’s marketing spend, shifting from a 90:10 performance-to-brand mix to 60:40. 

In 2021, the travel industry collapsed due to the pandemic - and Barnes had to make tough decisions about where to allocate Intrepid's limited marketing budget. 

“While many companies focused on short-term performance marketing, we chose to invest in building Intrepid’s brand for the future, even if it meant sacrificing immediate returns. Instead of spending 90 per cent of the budget on performance marketing, we shifted to a 60:40 split: 60 per cent on brand marketing and 40 per cent on performance. My vision was to strengthen Intrepid’s brand by focusing on its core values, ensuring long-term success through the uncertainty of the pandemic,” he says. 

This allowed the company to invest in its long-term brand while staying agile. Initiatives like Intrepid’s ethical marketing guidelines - aimed at improving representation in travel - and another standout initiative - the UNICEF Vaccine Equity campaign - which was designed to increase accessibility of vaccines in remote communities and resolve vaccine hesitancy - deepened brand trust. 

The results speak volumes: from a $60.7 million loss in 2021 to a $21.8 million net profit, and a $29 million revenue bump from first-time customers in early 2025 alone.

“These initiatives reinforced that Intrepid cared about more than just selling travel, creating a strong sense of purpose,” he says. 

“Homing in on the company’s values and unique value proposition, we used Intrepid’s B Corp certification to demonstrate the company’s commitment to doing good in the world. This was despite the company bleeding cash daily, with no product operational and no certainty of when it would return.” 

By January 2025, brand awareness surged by 21 per cent, and 10,000 first-time customers booked through Intrepid’s website, generating a record $29M in sales. Intrepid was also named one of TIME 100’s Most Influential Companies and made Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list for four consecutive years. 

Barnes' decision to focus on the brand, even in tough times, proved successful, demonstrating that long-term, purpose-driven marketing can lead to impressive growth and set the company up for future success.

Business influence 

Barnes leadership extends far beyond marketing. His commitment to Intrepid’s values has helped shape the company’s DEI and ethical practices globally. By spearheading Intrepid’s open-source ethical marketing guidelines, he influenced company-wide operations, ensuring that messaging, representation, and storytelling are more inclusive. 

“In 2021, Intrepid became the first global travel company to unveil an ethical marketing policy, outlining 23 measurable actions for more inclusive marketing and communications. This policy was developed in collaboration with a diverse group of consultants passionate about creating a more inclusive travel industry,” he says. 

“Intrepid has since led the charge in championing diversity in the travel industry, investing in initiatives that elevate marginalised voices. By 2023, the company had met 92 per cent of its DEI targets. In 2025, while others scale back on DEI, Intrepid is deepening its commitment, investing over half a million dollars in LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC-owned businesses and creators. The company is also sharing its ethical marketing guidelines to inspire broader industry change.” 

What’s more, Intrepid’s commitment to business as a force for good is deeply embedded in its operations, brand, and leadership. As a certified B Corp and an organisation aligned with Australia’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), Intrepid has taken deliberate steps to ensure its values of inclusivity and sustainability are more than aspirational - they are operationalised across the business.

And the impact of Barnes’ work hasn’t gone unnoticed.

In 2024, he was invited by the United Nations Global Compact to join its Chief Marketing Officer Think Lab - an international collective exploring how marketing can help advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. He also contributed to the UN Global Compact’s CMO Blueprint for Sustainable Marketing and Growth, sharing practical insights on how brands can align commercial performance with social impact.

Under his strategic direction, Intrepid is on a path to becoming a $1.3 billion business by 2030, with an ambitious goal of reaching 600,000 customers annually and reinvesting 1 per cent of its revenue into purpose-led initiatives.

His leadership reinforces a simple but powerful message: when marketing is anchored in purpose, it can fuel both meaningful change and long-term growth.

Data-driven decision making

When asked whether data or creativity should come first, Barnes doesn’t hesitate: “Why not both?”

And Barnes knew the company couldn't rely on intuition alone. As competition surged post-pandemic and consumer preferences shifted toward more meaningful, authentic travel, Barnes leaned into data to chart a clearer course. Using insights from Qualtrics and other research tools, the team uncovered a critical gap: while Intrepid was loved by loyal travellers, the brand wasn’t cutting through the noise in a crowded landscape.

“In 2023, as Intrepid navigated and recovered in a highly competitive global travel market, it capitalised on changing consumer preferences towards more meaningful and authentic travel experiences. Previous insights garnered through Qualtrics and other research tools revealed that Intrepid’s brand wasn’t standing out enough in the market. This insight presented an opportunity to better communicate our unique position as a leader in experience-rich and local leader-led travel.”

This finding sparked a pivotal strategic decision - and Barnes knew this was its moment to double down and tell the world what set the company apart.

In response, Intrepid launched its largest-ever brand campaign in September 2024: ‘Only Intrepid,’ a bold $5 million global initiative designed to elevate the brand’s presence and clarify its point of difference. The campaign set out to achieve three things: differentiate the company through its locally led travel model, boost global brand awareness, and drive bookings during key sales windows.

What made ‘Only Intrepid’ stand out wasn’t just the budget or scope - it was how tightly the campaign was tethered to customer insights.

“Intrepid based the campaign creative on the research, honing in on authentic, local moments—such as sharing meals with families and making mochi in Japan - to highlight the personal connections central to Intrepid’s experiences. The campaign ran across TV, digital, print, and out-of-home, using over 500 tailored creative assets.”

In fact, these weren’t staged experiences - they were real-life moments that captured the emotional richness of Intrepid travel.

“Intrepid subsequently achieved its highest-ever aided awareness score, meaning more people know the brand than ever before. In January 2025, 10,000 customers booked through intrepidtravel.com for the first time, generating $29 million in sales (an all-time record, representing 34 per cent of total sales and a 30 per cent year-on-year growth). The campaign generated 21 million social media impressions and earned significant media coverage.”

“By prioritising research and analytics, we connected with our audience more effectively, drove impressive growth, and reinforced Intrepid's unique market position," Barnes says.

In a sector where emotional storytelling and operational authenticity matter more than ever, Barnes’ commitment to data-driven creativity helped position Intrepid not just as a travel company, but as a brand that truly understands its customers - and delivers experiences they can’t get anywhere else.

Customer-first thinking

At the heart of Barnes’ success is a deep, structural commitment to the customer.

By unifying marketing, sales, PR, brand, and CX/UX under one agile, matrixed structure, Barnes created a feedback loop that doesn’t just listen to customers - it acts on their needs in real time. This cross-functional integration allowed Intrepid to move faster, be bolder, and make smarter decisions that directly enhanced the customer journey.

One of Barnes’ most transformative moves was revamping Intrepid’s customer care team. No longer a reactive function, it’s now a proactive, global operation that slashed response times by 50 per cent and delivered 89 targeted product and service improvements - each one rooted in improving the traveller experience.

But Barnes didn’t stop there. He introduced the Voice of the Customer (VoC) role, ensuring that customer insights weren’t siloed - they were embedded across the business. Through tools like quarterly sentiment reports and NPS modelling, the VoC initiative drove 42 improvements in Q4 2024 alone. On the ground, these changes had real impact: issue resolution during trips jumped to 71 per cent and remarkably, 18.5 per cent of initial detractors returned to travel with Intrepid again.

Putting the customer first isn’t just good service - it’s good business. And the numbers back him up.

He also invested in smarter tech to optimise sales and customer service systems, driving a 30 per cent reduction in wait times and boosting internal team satisfaction by 11 per cent. 

“These upgrades resulted in a $400,000 cost saving per productive hour and a 6-point increase in booking NPS, reflecting higher customer satisfaction with service delivery.” 

Through his customer-first lens, Barnes isn’t just improving how Intrepid serves its travellers - he’s redefining what it means to build a truly responsive, human-centred travel brand.

People leadership

“Three words I’d use to describe my style as a CMO? Ambitious, caring, and action.”

That blend of drive, empathy, and decisiveness defines Barnes’ leadership - and underpins the culture he’s built at Intrepid. He believes that great marketing leaders don’t just set strategy - they inspire people, nurture talent, and create the conditions for teams to thrive.

Under Barnes' stewardship, Intrepid adopted a more agile matrix structure, bringing together sales, PR, marketing, CX/UX, and brand teams for greater cohesion and impact. His decision to unite the Customer and Experience Departments - now led by the CMO - has been a pivotal legacy move. 

“This change promotes closer collaboration, faster decision-making, and stronger results, aligning teams across the entire customer journey.” 

A people-first leader, he empowers his team through upskilling and development, championing purpose alongside profit. He’s introduced initiatives that drive cross-team collaboration and transparency, including monthly sales and customer team wraps, regular customer insights emails, and the ‘Tiny Mic’ internal video series to keep everyone aligned.

He has also launched new learning programs like internal mentoring and the LAMP course, along with tools such as a global marketing calendar and clearer team responsibilities to boost efficiency and ownership.

As he steps into his new role as President of the Americas, he leaves behind not just a high-performing team, but a leadership legacy that puts people, purpose, and performance on equal footing.