Mentoring

After over 40 years in the workforce I'd genuinely like to pay it forward and to help mentor the next generation of business leaders. I've been so fortunate in my career to have received guidance and counselling from many people. So if you think I can help you or your business in any way, please contact me.

Consulting

I left full time employment in August 2016, and now I’m able to consider consulting and project work. If you have an opportunity that could use my skill set, let’s talk.

Please use the details on the contact form below to initiate the discussion. In the first instance let’s talk by phone or Skype, correspond by email, or meet informally in Brisbane or on the Sunshine Coast.

If there’s a good fit and the opportunity is significant, I’ll travel anywhere in the world at my cost to finalise arrangements.

Employment

I’m not seeking full time employment but again, if the opportunity is significant I can be convinced.

Directorships

I will consider Board opportunities for not-for profits, commercial enterprises and government entities. These attributes may be relevant:

• Skills, knowledge and experience. My professional experience has emphasised business-to-business operations, with divisional and P&L responsibilities at senior and executive levels.

• Stakeholder relationships. A common element of my current and recent roles is to manage the often conflicting expectations of stakeholders in the business. I recognise the value of formal and informal links with community groups, Government, suppliers, service providers, customers, and the market generally.

• Analyse and assess. Through my work I have developed an excellent understanding of the subtleties of financial statements. I have the ability to gauge business performance against agreed objectives, and to recognise situations where legislative compliance or risk management may need review.

Make contact

Please use the details on the contact page below for any enquiries. Thanks for reading!

Hello!

My name is Mark Dowling, and most recently was Chief Executive of the Sugar Research Institute (Brisbane, Queensland). I held this position from March 2012 to August 2016, after being promoted internally from Marketing Manager (a position I'd held since joining SRI in April 2009).

SRI is an organisation that delivers technology-based products and services to business on a commercial basis, an area in which I have had extensive experience.

With formal degrees in Engineering and Management, I have worked in a diverse variety of industries ranging from heavy engineering (CSR) through to internet technology (Inktomi). I am affiliated with three professional organisations - the Institute of Engineers Australia (IEAust), the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), and the International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists (ISSCT).

Why I do this

I am attracted to the concept, and challenge, of reusing things. Things such as products, service offerings, business models and maybe, even individuals.

Reuse happens when undifferentiated things are refreshed, reworked, combined, tweaked and implemented into something new. In doing this reuse creates value, because those previously unremarkable things aren’t left under-utilised on a shelf somewhere. Instead, they are useful, marketable and saleable because they’ve been molded into something special and perhaps even unique.

This is what I did at SRI, and it’s something I've done previously for other innovative businesses. It's challenging and fulfilling to successfully create and operate a business based on this concept.

How I approach my work

Firstly, and most importantly, I adopt an abundance mindset. Because I believe that there’s plenty of everything to go around, for those who dare to look for it. As a business manager I champion strategies that increase revenue through innovation and sales proficiency, over those that impose cost control. This manifests as simple but proven business models that emphasise client interaction, demand generation and fulfillment.

Each important career move I have made, has at its core been driven by the opportunity learn new skills in new roles. When I joined SRI seven years ago, every day was a new learning experience under a manager who was willing to share everything he had learned. As its Chief Executive I operated under the guidance of an experienced Board of Directors. I learned and achieved a great deal during my tenure at SRI and for this, I am both fortunate and grateful.

Early in Gary Vaynerchuk’s 2016 book "#AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur's Take on Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness”, he reveals to readers the list of his eight core business philosophies.

It was this list that inspired me to write down the principles that resonated with me personally and to rephrase them in a way that better suited my thinking. I also added a few more which influence the way I approach both business and life.

Here they are …

Value

• Always bring value; value precedes payment every time.
• Bring 51% of the value to every relationship.
• Favour lifetime value over short term gain.
• Value people over things; people are dynamic, things are not.

Business

• Maximise top-line revenue; it buys longevity.
• Growth for its own sake is a bad idea.
• Be fluid with how, when and where you make your money.
• Attack your business before your competitors do.

Motivation

• Smart work supplements hard work; it doesn’t replace it.
• Know your reasons for doing everything.
• Controversy is more remarkable than caution.
• Persist until it doesn’t make sense anymore.

Relationships

• Always be courteous, even to rude people.
• Patience always pays off.
• Know your few true friends.
• Pay attention to small things; often, they're not small.

I’d like to say I live all of these each day but I don’t, at least not yet. They are however values and principles to which I have a lifelong commitment to mastering and embedding in my psyche.