- Conference Speakers
Topics:
- Marketing & Branding
- Sport
- Technology & Futurology
Having been involved in Formula One for close to 20 years, Mark Gallagher is widely respected within the industry and is today Head of Business Development at Red Bull Racing, formely Jaguar Racing Team. A former member of the senior management team at Jordan Grand Prix, confidante of team principal Eddie Jordan as well as drivers past and present, Mark understands the key issues involved in being a winner in this most demanding of high technology sports.
Leadership, motivation, teamwork and the use of technology to gain competitive advantage are just some of the areas into which Mark has gained a unique insight. Combining his media broadcasting background with his vast knowledge of the inner workings of Formula One he has become perhaps the most prolific speaker from within the exciting world of Grand Prix racing.
A former journalist in the 1980s, when he covered Formula One for the Sunday Express and was a regular broadcaster on television and radio, Mark was for many years best known for his long and successful association with Jordan Grand Prix – once described by television commentator as being ‘the most motivated team in Formula One’. Heading up the team’s marketing and communications side, Mark was a right hand man to Eddie Jordan during two spells with the team totalling nine years. After leaving Jordan Mark joined the management team behind British Formula One star Jenson Button before accepting an offer to head up sponsorship and commercial negotiations for Jaguar’s fast-improving Formula One team.
During his two decades in the sport Mark has, through his work with teams, sponsors and the media, had occasion to closely observe some of the most famous names in the sport – Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, John Watson, Didier Pironi, Ricardo Patrese – while at Jordan he worked with drivers including Michael and Ralf Schumacher, Damon Hill, Rubens Barrichello, Martin Brundle, Giancarlo Fisichella, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jarno Trulli, Takuma Sato and Ralph Firman.
His experience of top-flight motor sport has not been limited to Formula One. During the 1980s Mark was a leading correspondent for publications covering the lower formulae of racing, while in the early 1990s he worked in both the British and World Rally Championships including periods with the Prodrive Subaru and Ford Motorsport rally teams.
A well known face in the Formula One paddocks around the world, Mark gives a fascinating insight into the world of top level motor sport, drawing parallels between the challenging, high speed environment of Formula One and the fast-paced business world of today.
Credit Suisse Asset Management