Mobile mogul awarded honorary degree

The award recognises the impact Mark has made in the world of mobile communications and comes after his recent appoint as Chief Strategy and Development Officer for Telefonica worldwide in August 2021 - having completed the merger of Telefonica (O2) UK and Virgin Media - the UK’s sixth largest financial transaction this century, valued at £31.4bn. 

Commenting on his award, Mark says: “I am truly humbled to be awarded this Honorary Doctorate. My time at Solent University instilled the desire for continuous learning which I stand by today. I hope this award encourages every student to never stop learning and make the most of the opportunities that come their way”. 

Prior to his new role, as the Chief Executive Officer, Mark led Telefonica (O2) UK to become the country’s number one mobile business, by customer scale and satisfaction, as well as delivering five consecutive years of increased profit growth.   

As part of its sustainability drive, Telefonica UK - which recently extended its portfolio to include giffgaff and Tesco Mobile, and led the UK Government’s domestic smart metering programme- has committed to achieving carbon net-zero by 2025. Achieving this would class the company as the only UK Telecoms, Media and Technology company to do so.

During Mark’s leadership, O2 has also become synonymous with music and entertainment, with the ‘O2 Arena’ developing into one of the world’s most successful entertainment venues, attracting over 7m visitors annually. 

Following his education at Solent University and qualifying as a Chartered Management Accountant, Mark has held several senior positions within the Vodafone Group, including the Global Technology CFO, Vodafone UK CFO and Vodafone Ireland CFO.

He started his career with Johnson & Johnson Orthopaedics, before moving to NTL. Mark also held two non-executive positions during his career, one as Chairman of Tesco Mobile and another for Hiscox Insurance. 

Mark has three children, twin boys and a daughter, and lives in Ascot with his wife Julie. He is passionate about sport and fitness, with a special interest in Welsh rugby, where he is a debenture holder.