Mark is a family man with a blended family of six kids. “I’ve been in New Zealand for 21 years. I came here for a better life for myself, my wife and my family.” He’s also a keen musician and plays bass guitar in a grunge band after growing up listening to 90s bands like Soundgarden and Nirvana.
Born and educated in England, Mark has spent his working life in the health, disability and community sectors. His leadership potential was recognised from an early age when he was offered a head of department position with the National Health Service (NHS) in London aged 20.
Before leaving the UK for the greener pastures of Aotearoa, Mark spent five and a half years at the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London. “Probably the place that gave me as much passion for my job as Pegasus does, was Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital,” Mark says. “The work Great Ormond Street does is phenomenal and I still stay in contact with them now.”
Since working in New Zealand, Mark’s commitment to community engagement has become a central tenet to his approach to developing health care services.
“I grabbed the amazing opportunity to be the inaugural manager of a brand new purpose-built medical centre, Central Med, in Tauranga. That was my first introduction to primary care. We did so much engagement with our population and we really built services around what people wanted.
“For me, Pegasus, an organisation with people living well at the heart of its purpose, really resonated with me. I’ve seen how small changes in primary care can make a massive difference in the lives and wellbeing of our communities, particularly focusing extra services around what people actually need to be well and stay well.”
“I’ve been at Pegasus for ten years. It’s the longest I’ve ever been anywhere, and I’m really proud and privileged to be where I am now. I consider it an honour to be the Manukura here. It’s got the best culture and probably the most committed people of any organisation I’ve ever worked in.
With change on the horizon, Mark is quietly confident in his ability to lead Pegasus through the health reforms. “There is a lot of change coming and most of what the health reforms are aspiring to see in the community is at the heart of what we do. There’ll be some change, but my job over the next year or two is to position us really well for the future and keep building on the legacy that comes from this organisation that was born of general practice.”