Term: 07/12/2021-06/12/2025
Governor Type: Co-opted
Role: Finance and Resources
Membership: Resources
Relevant Business Interests: N/A

Mark has run culture, creative and education organisations throughout his career, mostly working with schools and young people in some capacity. He also has experience in retail, fundraising and live broadcasting (radio and TV) and has mentored directors and chief executives in the arts world.

He is currently leading a project for the European Film Academy to create a European Film Club, co-created with young people and film education partners in 35 countries. He is a co-director of the Africa Town project aiming to develop a district of London to support African and diaspora retail, restaurants, arts and business. 

Mark was previously founding CEO of FILMCLUB (now called Into Film), growing from a 25-school pilot involving 7 Hackney schools to work with over 7,000 across the UK including nearly 60% of secondary schools. He was joint Managing Director of Creative Partnerships which worked with schools in 36 of the most deprived local authorities in England to develop creative projects focused on developing children’s creativity. He was artistic director of the National Youth Film Festival and the Africa Centre Summer Festival.

Mark has also set up two new live music venues: co-founding The Waterfront in Norwich and Ocean in Hackney and helped to develop a third venue; The Africa Centre in Southwark. He has worked with and promoted artists including Dionne Warwick, Gil Scott Heron, David Byrne, Nitin Sawhney, James Brown, Femi Kuti, Elton John, Outkast, Soft Cell, Patti Smith, Sean Paul, Evelyn Glennie, Paul Weller and Baaba Maal. He set up the Rising Tide Trust music education charity for young people in East London. 

He has lived in Stoke Newington for 27 years, his daughter goes to Grazebrook Primary School and is joining Year 7 in September 2022.

“I have loved living in Stoke Newington for nearly 30 years and admire Stoke Newington Schools’ greatly, especially its creative ambition and inclusivity. And so, I am keen to contribute the range of experience and skills I have developed in creativity, education and strategic planning to assist in the governance of the school my daughter is joining.”