Mark Ford
Director, Finance,
Research

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Mark Ford is a director of Cross-border Information with responsibility for business development, finance and project management. Mark participates in the development and implementation of the company's strategy and manages some of the firm's strategic relationships. In an advisory role he works closely with private and public sector clients developing commercial and economic development strategies in Africa and the Middle East. He reports regularly to clients on political and commercial developments in the Gulf.

Prior to joining the company Mark worked as a management consultant specialising in business and economic development, providing advice to mainly industrial companies. During this time he worked in several major projects involving businesses breaking into new and wider markets in Africa and the Middle East. Mark also worked with public-sector bodies, NGOs and multi-agency initiatives, generally advising on the role businesses and business development initiatives should play in social and economic development strategies.

Mark learnt entrepreneurship at the relatively early age of 23 when he started a business group involved in retailing, training and international trading. He holds an MBA (Distinction) from the University of Central England in Birmingham, where he produced his thesis on public-sector interventions designed to stimulate investment and create employment in private sector enterprises. It was ranked the second best UK MBA thesis in 1995.