Mark Cowne
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Mark Cowne born Cheltenham on 21 May 1957.
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[edit] Biography
Mark Cowne spent most of his early life travelling around the UK as his father worked in the civil service as an air traffic controller as was posted to a great number of places. Mark was educated at Brierly Hill Grammar School and Price's College Fareham from 1968 to 1974. From 1974 to 1977 Mark studied Graphic Design and Photography at Portsmouth College of Art.
Mark worked in the advertising design sector of the industry in the UK until 1981 when he emigrated to South Africa. Mark developed a strong marketing career when he joined the giant international electrical consumer goods company Philips as Advertising Manager, later moving on to become Marketing Services Director. Mark left Philips to start his own advertising and design studio, Genesis Design, in 1988 building it up into a full service advertising agency by 1990. In March 1991 Mark sold his interests in the advertising agency to pursue his passion of wildlife and ecology and formed Mopono Property Holdings to develop eco-tourism based projects within the newly proclaimed Madikwe Game Reserve. Mopono created the exclusive Tau Game Lodge ([1]) in the reserve and which has proved highly successful in terms of socio-ecological upliftment a significant employer and training platform for local communities.
Leaving South Africa in November 1996, Mark returned to England and formed Kruger Cowne ([2]), a celebrity representation and management company. The company specializes in personal appearances, after dinner speaking and conference speaking events for some of the UK's best known names including Bob Geldof KBE, Ruby Wax, John Simpson CBE, Bill Wyman, Uri Geller, Jerry Hall, John Sergeant and many others. Since its informal creation in 1996, when it represented only one person, Kruger Cowne ([3]) has grown into one of the most respected celebrity speaking agencies in the world today and represents over fifty high profile personalities and trades totally internationally.
[edit] Personal life
In September 1986 Mark married Gina Kruger who he describes as his 'lifetime soul mate'. Mark has two sons, Sagan, born January 1990 and Rees, born January 1994. Mark also has what he calls his 'hairy son' being a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Dudley.
[edit] Awards and Memberships
The Royal Geographic Society awarded Mark a Fellowship in May 2006 in recognition of his contribution to the Society including photographic works. Mark is an accredited Member of the British Computer Society.
[edit] Other Interests
Mark's all consuming passion is wildlife and travel but he also enjoys photography and SCUBA diving and is a PADI qualified diver. His photographic interests took him on two major journalistic missions with the BBC's World Affairs Editor, John Simpson, one being to uncover a lottery scam operation in Spain and the other a feature article for Conde Nast's GQ Magazine on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
[edit] Links
- Bob Geldof
- Bill Wyman
- Ruby Wax
- Jerry Hall
- John Simpson
- Uri Geller
- John Sergeant
- Lynne Franks
- Mariella Frostrup
