Lee Edwards
Global marketing lead
The Lego Group
Lee Edwards has worked for some of the biggest brands around, having started his career as a marketing graduate at Coca-Cola, followed by stints at BBC Studios and The Walt Disney Company, before joining the Lego Group in 2019 as brand manager.
Over the past five years he has swiftly moved up the ladder, taking on his current role as global marketing lead for the Lego masterbrand just last month.
Since starting out, he believes the most significant change has been the explosion of new channels and ways of reaching audiences, which continues to present a huge challenge for marketers. While there was once an almost “universal playbook” for guiding customers from awareness to purchase, which he describes as “tried, tested, and somewhat foolproof”, today marketing is far “more complex and challenging”.
But at the same time, it is also “much more rewarding”, he says, both from a career perspective and for consumers.
“With so much content across so many channels vying for our audience’s focus, the key is to craft messages that are not only relevant but memorable,” he adds. “Finding the perfect mix of relevance, timing, and authenticity is crucial for making a real impact.”
“Marketing is a dynamic, ever-evolving field, so focus on building solid digital, analytical, and storytelling skills. Embrace new technologies and trends – they’re shaping the future.”
Marketers have a host of tools at their disposal to help them achieve this goal, with Edwards highlighting data-driven insight and tech as the two biggest opportunities for marketers.
He says the industry has made “leaps in data acquisition in recent years”, but suggests the focus now is how this data is used.
Likewise, he believes the pace of technological advancement is like nothing he’s seen before in his career. “Embracing and harnessing this innovation and speed will allow us to enhance our work and better meet our customers' evolving needs and expectations,” he adds.
In the coming decade, he thinks the industry will become even more data-driven and tech-focused. “Advances in AI and automation will give us more tools to analyse and predict behaviour, enabling us to deliver hyper-personalised experiences at scale,” he says. But this comes with great responsibility, with Edwards suggesting marketers must balance data use with “respect for privacy”.
He believes brands will need to be even more focused on “building trust, demonstrating transparency and creating greater connections” in years to come as consumers become increasingly interested in supporting brands that align with their values.
For marketers starting out in the industry, his advice is simple: “Be curious, adaptable, and ready to keep learning.”
“Marketing is a dynamic, ever-evolving field, so focus on building solid digital, analytical, and storytelling skills. Embrace new technologies and trends – they’re shaping the future,” he says. “But don’t overlook the basics: empathy and clear communication are the foundation of meaningful connections and long-term success in any marketing career.”
