Mark Gallagher

Formula One is a unique mix of business and sport, where strong leadership, efficient team work, split second decision making and a clear focus on delivery are required to compete at the highest levels in the 20 Grands Prix which comprise the FIA Formula One World Championship.

Mark Gallagher has worked in Formula One for almost 30 years and has spent the last 15 working as senior executive within the management of Jordan Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing and Cosworth. While operating at the centre of this fascinating sports business, Mark has worked directly with the world’s top drivers and team owners, giving him a privileged understanding of what it takes to be a world class competitor.

Head of Marketing at the highly successful, race winning Jordan team over a ten year period, Mark was famously described as ‘head of making things happen’ in Eddie Jordan’s dynamic organisation. He then joined Jaguar Racing and helped in its transition into the now-dominant Red Bull Racing team, before taking over responsibility from 2009 until 2011 for the return of Cosworth to Formula One. Between 2009 and 2011 Mark was directly responsible for supplying one third of the Formula One teams with engine technology, re-establishing the Cosworth F1 business which has powered 13 Drivers Champions and won 176 Grands Prix – second only to Ferrari.

During his career Mark has worked directly with drivers including Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard and Ayrton Senna, and also spent time as part of Jenson Button’s management team.

Since 2005 Mark has also co-owned his own racing team, Status Grand Prix based at Silverstone in the UK, which won the 2009 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, has scored multiple victories in the GP3 feeder-series to Formula One and competes in the Le Mans sports car racing series. Status has three times won the ‘Best Presented Team’ Award, setting the benchmark in professionalism and presentation.

Today Mark heads a sports investment group, sits on the board of Status Grand Prix and uses his vast experience of the Formula One industry to work with teams, sponsors and drivers. He also makes regular appearances in the media, notably with Sky News, and in 2012 is an expert pundit and commentator at Formula One events with ESPN Star Sports, broadcasting to 24 countries and 36 Million F1 fans in Asia.

In 2012 Mark will publish ‘The Business of Winning’, a book drawing on the business lessons to be learned from the high finance, high octane world of Formula One.

His expertise has also been called upon by Disney Pixar for whom he acted as a industry consultant on the animated films CARS The Movie and CARS 2. Mark coordinated an agreement with Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone which enabled Disney Pixar to host its European media launch of CARS The Movie at the Spanish Grand Prix, and enjoys first hand experience of working with the man who created the global sport of F1.

Topics:
•    Teamwork, Motivation and Leadership
•    Customer Service – the client-centric organisation
•    Partnerships and Sponsorship
•    Quality control systems and their importance in F1
•    Sustainability
•    Managing Risk and Safety

A thoroughly enjoyable talk – authentic, amusing, engaging, memborable – whilst making important points about leading people to work and achieve to the best of their ability. NHS

Mark, what a brilliant, inspirational, very engaging and very motivational speech you gave, thank you so much.  From our feedback “Was there anything that you thought was particularly good”…………..MARK GALLAGHER.  Great day from all at the NHS

“On behalf of all the team at UK Sport thank you. Your presentation on The Power of Change was stimulating and entertaining, and the international audience was intrigued to find out more! It goes without saying that your passion for the subject matter was infectious”
 UK Sport

“Mark was very well received on our management event focusing on leadership. His experience in Formula One related very well in terms of the issues concerning team building, motivation and having a clear vision for the organisation.”
 HM Customs & Excise

“Your insights on team work and motivation were truly exceptional and we are delighted you could join us. Wonderful anecdotes, and very engaging.”
British Airways

Mark was excellent, a good mix of message and entertainment and knowledge of his field.   He was incredibly well received and consistently received 10/10
Business Link Wessex

Mark was spot on – excellent speaker and thanks for the recommendation!
Presidents Lunch

Mark was excellent – very appropriate to the day but extremely humourous and engaging.   His presentation was very relevant to us and the audience, he understood completely the brief given
University of Derby

Mark’s style and delivery were excellent, the speech had humour and yet kept the message we were trying to portray.  His impact on the audience was very positive and motivating.   Overall performance was brilliant
Business Link

Mark spoke at a networking event for us recently, the client was delighted with Mark, they told us “Mark is an excellent speaker who has been able to look back on his experience in F1 and pick specifics moments where he has learned valuable lessons in effective leadership. His storytelling skills, humour and warmth were present throughout the talk and the messages he shared were well delivered and relevant to the audience in questions. I would have no hesitation at all in booking Mark again for a future speaking engagement or recommending him to others.

An interview with Mark Gallagher

Do you think entrepreneurs are born or made?
A; I think entrepreneurs are made due to their life experience, particularly their early years and the events which shape their motivations. Working at the top of Formula One I have been fortunate to work with and meet many world class entrepreneurs; they come from different backgrounds, social classes, educational skills, but they all have two things in common – enormous internal motivation and the ability to communicate their goals whether to investors, staff, suppliers or customers.

Who or what was your motivation to achieve?
A; Growing up in Northern Ireland, where we had a lot of problems in the 1970’s and ‘80’s, I was motivated to see the world, only work at something I enjoyed, and seek to be the best at it.  I was always fascinated by technology, so I became determined to combine all my interests and motivations and work in Formula One with the objective of being successful at whatever I did. Ultimately that lead to being on the management board of top teams, and the experience of winning at World Championship level.

Why is it important for businesses and organisations to motivate staff in recession?
A; Recessions are difficult for everyone, whether businesses or employees, suppliers or customers.  It is important to motivate staff because in this era of 24/7 rolling news personnel are fed a diet of negative coverage, doom and gloom, by the media; much of which is sensationalist.  This has a negative effect on staff, and it is important for businesses to remind staff that everyone is in the same position, that the harder we work and the more clever we can be, the more we will not only survive the recession, but thrive.

What was the turning point of your business life?
A; On Saturday 10th January 1987 I received a phone call from a friend offering me the opportunity to work with Marlboro – the tobacco brand, and the largest corporate sponsor in Formula One.  From that moment I started to work on the commercial side of one of the world’s biggest sports, and I never looked back.  A very precise moment!

What was the turning point of your personal life?
A; Accepting the invitation from a F1 engineer to attend a party on the Friday evening of the Australian Grand Prix in 1991.  I reluctantly went along – and promptly met my future wife.  We were married exactly one year later.

Were there times you thought you would not succeed?
A; Every day. For me, fear of failure is as big a motivation as the desire for success.  I think it is important for individuals and businesses to constantly review what they are doing, asking the hard questions, seeing what can be done better.  That’s how it works in F1 – progress through constant review, renewing focus, pushing on to the next level.

If you weren’t involved in motor racing what industry do you think you would be in?
A; Aviation.  Whenever I have not been near cars I have usually been in or near planes.  I have lived on planes for 30 years, been around the world more than 100 times, and therefore I like to know how they work.  I have been very fortunate to meet airline entrepreneurs including Stelios Ioannou from Easyjet, Tony Fernandes from Air Asia and Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson.  I’ve also had some great experiences with the Royal Air Force and United States Navy – thanks to PR events in F1 – so I do like fast jets as well as fast cars!

What are you hoping to achieve in the future?
A; Having worked in the senior management of F1 teams, and successfully started and run my own team which has won at many levels below F1, my ambition for the future is clear; I am working hard to take my team to Formula One, and ultimately build a winning brand in the world’s most high technology sport.

Can you delegate?
A;  I am better now than ever.  One of the major discoveries has been the importance of delegation and empowerment to staff.  I do this with my racing team – Status Grand Prix – and as a result the management is able to get on with its job while I seek out fresh opportunities and enjoy one of  the most valuable things an entrepreneur can have ; thinking time.

What makes a good manager or leader?
A; Assuming that you have a definitive goal, the ability to communicate effectively is key.  I’d say most companies who have problems have suffered from a communications problem; either someone is not saying what needs to be said, or someone else is not listening!

Why do you think it is important to book an external speaker?
A; Learning from another business, even an apparently unrelated business, is a wonderful opportunity.  It is good to listen, to learn, and absorb the experiences of other people.  Most things have already been done in life; a lot of businesses are repeating mistakes or trying new initiatives without realising that this has happened before and they could flatten the learning curve by going outside and finding information from others.  I always remember speaking at an oil industry conference in Aberdeen and explaining how, after F1 had seen 47 driver fatalities between 1950 and 1994, we decided to stop that happening.  I explained how we did it, and the fact that we have not had another driver fatality since that of Ayrton Senna.  Afterwards a delegate who ran a diving company came up to me and said ‘if only our industry had listened to your industry and how it is possible to bring safety to the top of the priority list, we wouldn’t have continued to see fatalities in our business’.  That certainly made me realise the important of sharing information, best practices and cultures.