Angi: Hi Mark, thank you for joining me today. I’d like to give our audience a chance to get to know you better.
Mark: Thanks, Angi — I’m glad to be here!
Angi: Let’s start with something personal — your hometown. Where do you live, and what do you enjoy most about that place?
Mark: I live in Dornbirn, the biggest city in Vorarlberg. Still, the area is very quiet and close to forests and mountains overlooking the city. It is not far from the office in Lustenau, so I can ride my bicycle year-round to get to my desk. Occasionally, I work from home. Although I have a beautiful loft apartment, I prefer to be with my marketing colleagues in the same room.
Angi: You’ve also had quite a long and varied career. Could you share some highlights from your professional journey?
Mark: I've done many different things in my 35-year-long career, likely because I'm a curious person who wants to learn how things work. People saw me in different HR-roles, being responsible for Process Management, teaching students in business administration and Information Management, running educational curricula, and being self-employed as a consultant for online marketing.
Angi: That’s a wide range! Looking back, what has been the most challenging or unusual experience that really shaped you?
Mark: While working in Jordan at the Wadi Rum National Park, one of my tasks was to create a website for a local family that operates a desert camp for tourists. Because the camp manager’s English was not as good, I had to “teach” local traditions to the new arrivals. That earned me a place by the fire with the local guides and drivers. And that made me a little proud.
Angi: Fast forward to today — what brought you to Identec Solutions, and what exactly is your role here?
Mark: I started at Identec in August 2021, and I'm responsible for the marketing agenda. With my two colleagues, Conny and you, we concept, plan, create, execute, and evaluate the entire marketing strategy. This includes mostly brand marketing, content and social media marketing, demand and lead generation, and supporting other teams with their tasks, like events or HR.
Angi: Out of all these tasks, what excites you the most?
Mark: Marketing is a very diverse field with many facets to specialise in. I'm more the generalist type of guy, looking for a comprehensive overview to identify what needs attention, focus, and priority, and then connecting the dots to a complete web of ideas and strategies. Besides that, marketing evolves 24/7, with new trends and technologies emerging constantly. I like to try new things out to see if they pay off or if they're not applicable for us. You can be creative in marketing, not only with words or visual artwork, but also with ideas and concepts on how to approach a persona or a market segment.
Angi: Do you follow any guiding principles — either as a marketer or as a team leader?
Mark: My role at Identec has two sides - one as a marketing person and one as a manager of a small team. For the latter, I would say it's this: Don't ask for something you wouldn't do yourself. As a marketing professional, I need a structure and freedom at the same time. Freedom to let go and wander my mind, allowing ideas to emerge from nowhere, and structure to formulate something consistent with a target.
Angi: And when it comes to fresh ideas, where do you usually find your inspiration?
Mark: Honestly, I don’t know. They just pop up once I start imagining or “discussing” it mentally. I don’t have a structure I follow, but once I’m in the flow, there is no limit.
Angi: Our company has five core values — Visionary, Open, Responsible, Leading, and Global. Which of these resonates with you the most in your daily work?
Mark: Working in marketing, being visionary and open are the two most important aspects. Talking to customers and the people working in our market segments is an invaluable source of product innovation, insights, and cultural learning, which is the foundation of my daily work. Open to listening, observing, and staying curious, and therefore learning, means being open and visionary to me.
As a member of the Identec team, leading by example is crucial. That includes being responsible for my own tasks, but also for the greater good of the company.
Angi: And finally, what do you find most rewarding about your role?
Mark: Feedback comes in many ways. Connecting with relevant people in the industry, helping them achieve their objectives, and enhancing the reputation of Identec is great. When data shows that you are on the right track, that's great too. But I guess the most rewarding part of my job is when our leads become customers, and the world map, which we curate, shows one dot more.
Angi: Let’s talk about life outside of work. What are some of your hobbies and passions these days?
Mark: Kinda similar to my professional career, I lived through stages of different interests. In my twenties, I played baseball every day. In my thirties, I discovered my passion for academic studies. I delved into history, sociology, philosophy, business administration, and information management, ending up doing research in virtual anthropology. Later, I switched to mountain sports, and, except for paragliding, I did everything that you can think of that mountain sports can be. Trail running, hiking, mountain biking, climbing, mountaineering, ski mountaineering, ... in all parts of the world (except Antarctica).
These days, I have left the mountains behind me, but travel is still a big part of me. The road was my home for months, if not years. Ha, my latest passion is gardening and woodworking – Am I getting old?
Angi: Hahaha, not at all — these are exactly the trends people in their twenties are into these days! From baking sourdough bread to gardening and biking, it’s all coming back. Speaking of passions, can you share a favourite story from your travels or sporting adventures?
Mark: There are too many places I’ve been to call one my favourite place. Being snowed in for days in a cracking, forgotten hut in Kamchatka, being visited by a mountain police helicopter while bivouacking in a snow hole on a ridge in the Verwall mountains in Vorarlberg, getting my bike repaired in Oman by a guy who never saw a gear shift under the watchful eyes of an entire village, abseiling a mate hundreds of meters in a ice wall from the peak of Alpamayo, Peru, telling stories about Vorarlberg to a curious tribe audience in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, putting my food in my van’s fridge to safeguard it from freezing solid during my nights skitouring in Alaska, finding absolute solitude in the Mongolian Altai mountains winter, going on skitours with a shouldered shotgun in Greenland, ice and snow climbing Ben Nevis’ north face in Scotland and losing orientation in a massive whiteout, steering a car ferry in Ireland, … that list just doesn’t stop.
Angi: Thank you, Mark, for sharing your stories, insights, and experiences.
Mark: Thank you — I really enjoyed the conversation.