‘Category-of-one’ keynote speaker…

…who’s ‘lived’ what others teach

Mark turns real adversity into belief, alignment and high performance

Master Storyteller & Speaker

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Podium Skipper

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Winner Booker’s Choice Award ‘24

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IVCA Gold Award

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Accredited Executive & Team Coach

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25 Yrs | 31 Countries | 5 Star Reviews

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Master Storyteller & Speaker • Podium Skipper • Winner Booker’s Choice Award ‘24 • IVCA Gold Award • Accredited Executive & Team Coach • 25 Yrs | 31 Countries | 5 Star Reviews •

Skipper-turned-leadership strategist

Mark led 17 amateur sailors around the world through brutal weather, high stakes situations and fierce competition.

Finishing on the Podium, he forged a practical playbook for leading teams through turbulence. 

Born at Sea. Built for 2026.

Modern Leadership Philosopher

Mark’s story is not just about leadership - it is also about ‘Followership’, the academic term for earned commitment now referenced as key for successful Workplaces by Harvard Business Review, McKinsey & Co, Boston Consulting Group and MIT Sloan.

When Mark set out to race around the world:  His crew were not professional sailors, paid employees or following hierarchy or coercion.

They were volunteers - ordinary people facing a daunting task under extraordinary pressure. They followed Mark only because they believed in his clarity, fairness, humanity and vision.

In 2026, leaders can’t just command performance. They must inspire it.

Mark’s journey demonstrates this in its purest form.

Been There. Done it.

Mark shares a toolkit for uniting teams, overcoming adversity and achieving extraordinary results in turbulent times.

Trusted and in use by some of the worlds greatest companies:

What Mark Stands For

I believe the greatest leadership lessons aren’t learned in classrooms or boardrooms - they’re forged when certainty collapses, pressure rises, and people must choose whether to unite or fall apart.

I believe in the power of Followership: in 17 amateurs who shouldn’t have won on paper, but who chose belief over fear, trust over ego, choosing to unite instead of splinter.

Our journey proved a simple truth: extraordinary performance begins when people voluntarily commit to a shared purpose.

I believe leadership under pressure is not bravado - it is clarity, calm, courage and connection. It is listening deeply, trusting widely and empowering voices that haven’t yet discovered their strength.

I believe in moving hearts, educating heads and inspiring hands and feet to choose a different path

Not hype - human truth
Not adrenaline - alignment
Not imposing - inspiring

I believe the business world now faces conditions as volatile as any open ocean.

But I also believe teams are capable of extraordinary things when leaders can earn belief, inspire unity and align every voice.

This is what I stand for. This is what I teach. This is what I’ve lived. And this what I mean when I say:

TOGETHER WE TRIUMPH

Key Accomplishments

  • Leadership Author

    KEY CONTRIBUTOR TO HENLEY MBA TEXT

    Mark was a major contributor to the Henley Management School MBA text Inspiring Leadership: Staying Afloat in Turbulent Times, now in its seventh reprint. The book explores the critical relationship between emotional intelligence, leadership behaviour, and sustained performance under pressure.

    Drawing on real-world experience and applied research, Mark’s contribution focuses on how leaders can navigate uncertainty, build resilience, and maintain performance in complex, high-stakes environments. His work continues to inform MBA students and senior leaders worldwide, bridging academic insight with practical leadership application in times of rapid change and disruption.

  • ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT EXPERT

    AN EXPERT IN LEADERSHIP, TEAM AND CULTURE DEVELOPMENT

    But Mark also draws on 20+ years of working with some of the worlds’ greatest organisations, helping to reshape their cultures and improve their leadership and team resilience to deliver better, faster and more sustainably, especially in times of disruption and change.

    He has been involved in many high profile projects including one that led to a £1.27bn saving for a global mining client, and a Procurement Leaders Gold Award for People Development. He has also been pivotal to two successful mergers, and has twice assisted companies to achieve a ‘Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to work for’ Award.

  • Multiple Award Winner

    HIGHLY ACCOLADED KEYNOTE SPEAKER

    It is this unique combination of experience that underpins Mark’s keynote speeches and has earned him widespread recognition as an outstanding speaker. His work has been acknowledged with the prestigious IVCA Gold Award and the Bookers Choice Speaker Award 24/25, reflecting both industry excellence and audience impact.

    Mark has delivered keynote presentations at thousands of events across more than 31 countries, engaging and inspiring audiences from global corporations to leadership forums. Known for blending insight, storytelling, and practical relevance, his talks consistently receive five-star reviews from clients and delegates alike, leaving audiences both educated and genuinely enthralled.

  • Leadership Authority

    A PARTNER WITH SOME OF THE GREATEST MINDS

    Mark is also a licensed partner of Harvard Professor Amy Edmondson’s Fearless Organization, the global benchmark for building psychological safety in teams. Recognised as the number one authority on the subject, the Fearless Organization framework shows how trust, openness, and learning create the conditions for sustained high performance.

    Psychological safety is a central theme within Mark’s work and keynote speeches, grounded not only in research but in lived experience. It was this environment that enabled his own team to perform at an exceptional level, reinforcing his belief that high-performing cultures are built deliberately, not by chance.