Mark has spent over 30 years in the technology industry, bringing deep expertise in innovation, early-stage ventures, and global market development. Since earning his PhD in physics, he has worked closely with startups to help shape their products and bring them successfully to market.

His career includes 16 years leading research and innovation at IBM, where he launched the company’s internal startup programme and played a key role in establishing IBM Research in India and China. He also led an R&D lab in Japan for more than three years. As executive sponsor for the Symantec-Huawei joint venture in China, Mark oversaw its rapid growth from $32 million to $750 million in revenue within three years.

An entrepreneur at heart, Mark led an early mobile content distribution startup and co-founded an AI/ML company that helped the publishing industry better match readers to content. He has also headed corporate venture programmes at Symantec, Neustar, and NetApp, and led innovation consulting at Vista Equity Partners, where he worked with portfolio companies to drive growth through innovation.

Mark holds an A.B. in Physics from Harvard College and a PhD in Experimental High Energy Physics from Columbia University. Recently named an Edmund Hillary Fellow, Mark’s appointment builds on a relationship with New Zealand that spans more than three decades.

Fund I & Fund II