Mr Mark Qualter (Chair of Council)

Portrait photograph of Mark QualterBA (Hons), MBA

Navigating through a long career in the banking industry, Mark distinguished himself in the first part of his career by serving a spectrum of blue-chip, international corporate clients whilst working for a major Canadian and then a Japanese Bank and, latterly RBS/NatWest.

Amidst the 2008 financial crisis turbulence, he transitioned into Strategy and Transformation at RBS/NatWest, holding senior roles including the Head of Strategy of the multifaceted Corporate Banking Products Division. Later, his role as Head of Artificial Intelligence saw him converging his zeal for change and emerging, disruptive technology in the Corporate Banking Division.

The ensuing chapter witnessed Mark in 2019 stepping into the legal sector and the UK’s only publicly listed law firm, where he was tasked to cultivate a tech and process-driven legal business from inception. As CEO of this business, he not only reshaped aspects of the parent law firm but also delivered innovative services to prestigious international clients, expanding the division to 850 people across the UK, USA, and India through strategic acquisitions and leadership.

In 2023, Mark dove into fintech, becoming the Chief Commercial and Chief Financial Officer of a disruptive software business, innovating regulatory reporting for banks, hedge funds, and asset managers for their derivatives trading.

Before his tenure with The University of Buckingham, Mark devoted nine years to Manchester Metropolitan University as an independent governor, chairing the Audit and Risk Committee and contributing to the Nominations and Governance Committee for the latter seven of those.

Beyond his professional exploits, Mark, an amateur polyglot, harbours a profound interest in electronic music production, cooks and eats vegan food and travels whenever and as far as possible.

His educational backdrop includes an MBA from Manchester Business School and a BA (Hons) in Hindi and Sinhalese from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.