Strategic growth consultant specialising in start-up development, concept validation and business planning. Digital marketing and new business acquisition. Lecturer in marketing and new enterprise.
Mark has over 25 years experience working in the international technology and startup sectors. Ten of those years with Fujitsu, working in the sales and operational delivery of professional and technical consultancy services.
During his role as UK & Ireland Sales Manager for Stream International (now Concentrix), he dealt with the European support requirements for a number of global blue-chip technology companies.
Based in Silicon Valley over 2002 to 2007, he worked with a number of European early-stage companies assisting them on market entry into the North American market. He was also Director of Business Development with Connexed Technologies, a Palo Alto cloud-based security start-up. Over that period, he was also fortunate enough to be ‘Mr Mom’ to his two daughters, frequently volunteering in the classroom and as a AYSO soccer coach.
In 2009 he founded Statzpack, a first in sports performance system combining mobile app and cloud technology achieving a early dominant market position in the US soccer market in club and high school level.
Over 2009 to 2016 he acted as lead mentor in the Propel Programme, specialising on pitching and business model development for a high number of successful startups. In 2012 he lead the effort to stage LeanStartupMachine in Belfast and the delivery of Business Launchpad new venture programme in the Queen’s University of Belfast, where he now acts as a Teaching Fellow at the Management School.
Mark has been responsible for the design, submission and monitoring of over 12 public tenders in excess of £8m. On a pro bono basis Mark has been a coach with Prince’s Trust, University of Ulster and ODI.
Mark holds a BA in Business Studies, completed a number of courses at Stanford University, and holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool.
He currently teaches Marketing and New Business Ventures at Queen’s University of Belfast.