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Mark Wood (businessman)

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Mark Wood
Born1953
County Durham, England, UK
CitizenshipBritish
OccupationChairman of Paternoster
ChildrenOne son, two daughters

Gregory Mark Wood CBE (born 1953 in County Durham) has been at the helm of several financial services and technology start-ups, both in the UK and New York City.

Career

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Wood began his career with the accountancy firm Price Waterhouse (PwC). He also held posts in Commercial Union, MAI plc, British & Commonwealth, and Barclays.[1]

After running the AA's insurance arm for three years, Wood was made chief executive of Axa Equity & Law. Buying into Sun Life put him in charge of a FTSE 100 company which subsequently bought Guardian Royal Exchange and set about integrating the group.[2] In 2001, Wood moved from Axa to join Prudential plc and became its UK and European Chief Executive.[3] In 2006, Wood's work in re-establishing Prudential plc as a leader in the UK insurance market became the subject of a case study by the International Institute for Management Development.[4]

In 2005 he founded and became chief executive of Paternoster; a regulated insurance company that takes on the risks associated with companies’ final salary/defined benefit pension schemes. The company received backing of £500 million, led by Deutsche Bank. In 2009, Wood became the deputy chairman.

He is chairman of Digitalis, which specialises in Online Reputation Management;[5] and audit committee chairman and non-executive director of the RAC Limited.[6] He was formerly chairman of Beta London Advertising and Lloyds Insurer Chaucer PLC.[7] He was CEO of Jardine Lloyd Thompson Employee Benefits[8] from 2011 to 2014. He is a regular commentator in the press on pensions and insurance. Wood is also chairman of PensionBee Limited, Acquis Insurance, Utility Bidder, and Leakbot.[9][10]

In 2010, Wood received an honorary doctorate in business administration from Anglia Ruskin University.[11]

Charity work

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Wood is the former chairman of the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), serving for nine years until he left the role in October 2019.[12][13] He also ran the Full Stop campaign to raise £280m through events such as a dinner with Bill Clinton and Elton John in St Petersburg.[14]

Woods is a Trustee at the Brooklands Museum in Surrey,[15] and also sits on the Appeal Board of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.[16]

Wood was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to children and young people for his work with the NSPCC.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Paternoster chief 'Chopper' carves out his success". 16 February 2008. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Paternoster Chief Chopper Carves out his success", The Telegraph, 16 February 2008, retrieved 10 December 2010
  3. ^ "Prudential lures Mark Wood from rival Axa to run European arm", The Independent, 22 February 2001, retrieved 10 December 2010[dead link]
  4. ^ "Prudential UK: Rebuilding a Mighty Business". Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  5. ^ "Mark Wood CBE". Digitalis. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Our directors". www.raccorporate.co.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Directors", Chaucer, archived from the original on 12 September 2010, retrieved 10 December 2010
  8. ^ "Jardine Lloyd Thomson Group". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  9. ^ "» Acquis appoints Mark Wood as Chairman". www.acquisinsurance.com. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Brooklands Museum :: Brooklands Museum Trustees". www.brooklandsmuseum.com. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Mark Wood, Honorary Doctor of Business Administration". Anglia Ruskin University. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Board Of Trustees, the Council and the Executive Board", NSPCC, retrieved 10 December 2010
  13. ^ "Who's moving: Turning Point, London Marathon Events, NSPCC and more". www.civilsociety.co.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  14. ^ "Paternoster Chief Chopper Carves out his success", The Telegraph, 16 February 2008, retrieved 10 December 2010
  15. ^ "Brooklands Museum :: Brooklands Museum Trustees". www.brooklandsmuseum.com. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  16. ^ "Stop MS Appeal Board". www.mssociety.org.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  17. ^ "No. 61962". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2017. p. B10.