About – MAKE YOUR MARK UK

Helping businesses and charities to be better

Glad you want to learn more! As our name suggests, we’re a training, executive coaching and consultancy service. We help businesses and charities make an impact and create positive change.

MAKE YOUR MARK UK was founded in 2017. Since then, we’ve run training courses within the South Yorkshire Region and further afield, delivered staff development sessions for CAST Theatre and helped Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce with their policy work…to name just a few! We welcome new challenges and love connecting with people who want to make a difference.

We run a regular podcast series MARK MY WORDS where we interview entrepreneurs, business owners and charity founders about their journey, tips and insights – available on youtube, spotify, apple podcast and more!

Meet Mark, our CEO

Thanks to his senior leadership roles, Mark’s gained plenty of knowledge, experience and skills over the years (not to mention modesty!). He created MAKE YOUR MARK UK because he wanted to combine two of his favourite things: working with people and making a real change in the world. His consultation meetings often involve another favourite…Yorkshire Tea.

Mark is an active member of several professional bodies:

Doncaster Chamber
Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce
Sheffield Chamber of Commerce
European Mentoring and Coaching Council UK (EMCC UK)
Chartered Institute of Fundraising

His qualifications include:

Psychology with Counselling BSc (Hons) at The University of Hull

Mental Health First Aider (Mental Health First Aid England)
Level 3 Award in Education and Training (The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health)
Diploma in Volunteer Management (BTEC)
Diploma in Business Improvement Techniques
Certificate in Executive Coaching and Mentoring Level 7
Accredited Senior Practitioner with the EMCC UK

In his spare time, Mark can be found walking Barbara the (adorable) Bichon Frise or catching up on Coronation Street. If you’d like to get in touch with Mark to discuss his services or training – or to chat about Corrie – he’d love to hear from you.

Our Values

When you consider working with an external agency, we recommend looking into their ethos. An organisation’s values will give you an insight into their approach…and more importantly, if they’ll be a good fit. Whether you’re a start-up or an established business, you want to get it right.

MAKE YOUR MARK UK values being authentic, remarkable and fun.

Authentic: We’re exceedingly human. By acknowledging our imperfections in a straightforward and genuine way, we create a cohesive environment for everyone.

Remarkable: No matter the project, we go above and beyond with our support and advice. We always strive for our clients to be delighted with our service. That’s why we have such a brilliant reputation! We are delighted to be shortlisted for ‘Excellence in Customer Service’ award at the 2022 Celebration of Business Awards (Barnsley and Rotherham) and a finalist for ‘Excellence in Customer Service’ at the Doncaster Business Awards 2021. In 2023 we were the Winner of the Best Charity Leadership & Development Consultancy (Northern Enterprise Awards)

Fun: Though we take pride in our work, we also see the lighter side of life. Our good-natured humour is reflected in our warm and approachable style…and our social media! Ultimately, we love making people smile.

Our Corporate Social Responsibility

As far as we’re concerned, CSR isn’t a trend – it’s rooted in our day-to-day work. Therefore, we are delighted to be shortlisted for ‘Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility’ at Doncaster Business Awards 2020, 2021, 2022 as well as for the ‘Business Community Impact’ award in the Barnsley and Rotherham Celebration of Business Awards 2022 & 2023. And we don’t just go the extra mile when we’re doing a sponsored step challenge.

Thanks to our values and work ethic, we always help businesses and charities to be better.

Our Charity of the Year Partnership

Every year, MAKE YOUR MARK UK chooses a good cause to support. Nominations will are currently open (with the deadline of 23rd September 2024). For further details and to nominate – click here.

In previous years, our support has ranged from developing fundraising strategies, running team building events, helping develop business plans and providing executive coaching to leaders. We have previously supported: Rotherham Talking Newspapers, SCCCC, Rothacs, Mums In Need, b:friend.

Our most recent charity partner is EvesTrust, a fantastic Doncaster-based cancer charity which helps provides ‘dreams’ (wishes) and one-to-one support for local families receiving a cancer diagnosis.

Clynton Johnson the Former Operations Manager for EvesTrust said “having worked with Mark via Doncaster Chamber before, we were excited to work more closely with MAKE YOUR MARK UK in such a fantastic opportunity for us as a small charity; thank you!”

We offset our carbon footprint via Ecologi

As part of our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, we aim to reduce our carbon footprint by sponsoring the regular planting of trees and supporting other climate projects.

See more about our impact here.

Our Voluntary Projects

Junior Chamber International (JCI)

JCI provides development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change. Mark has volunteered in a variety of roles within JCI – from JCI Sheffield’s President, to Regional Chairperson of JCI Yorkshire, to National President. In 2020, he was assigned to JCI Europe as International Vice President. Even when meetings turned digital, he loved advising people across the globe.

Citizens Advice Sheffield

Mark is a trustee of Citizens Advice Sheffield and regularly advises on their policies. The charity aims to help people find a way forward with any problems they may be facing.

Opportunities Doncaster (Doncaster Chamber)

Opportunities Doncaster helps students gain soft skills for the workplace. We’ve advised many students about careers in the charity sector and the best steps for setting up a business. Additionally, we hold mock interviews so they can gain invaluable experience before they apply for their dream role. We hope we’ve inspired a few young minds over the years!

Panel Discussions

We’re keen to challenge the stigmas against poor mental health. That’s why Mark has joined several high-profile panel discussions on the subject, such as JCI UK’s Mindful Matters conference. In addition, he regularly volunteers with helplines that offer support to people in difficult circumstances.

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