Mark Florman

Mark Florman (born 2 November 1958) is a British businessman,^[1] entrepreneur and a pioneer in impact philanthropy and social justice. He is a co-founder and former CEO of the merchant banking group Maizels, Westerberg & Co.

Early Life and Education

Mark Florman was born in London to a Swedish father and an English mother. His father, Charles Florman, had come to London during World War II to establish the English office of the Swedish airline Aerotransport, which had been founded by Charles's father Carl Florman and uncle Adrian Florman in 1924 and was to become part of Scandinavian Airlines in 1948.

Mark Florman was educated at Harrow School and graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1981. He moved to the United States in 1982.

Professional background

Florman joined The Northern Trust Bank, Chicago, where he co-founded the interest rate swap business in America and worked in corporate banking, US T-Bills and money & capital markets. From the mid-1980s as a Director of County Bank and then a Partner of Enskilda Securities he advised on corporate restructurings, M&A and equity capital markets. In 1991, he worked on the acquisition of Scandinavian Bank for Enskilda and co-founded SEB Capital Markets in the same year.

In 1992, Florman was co-founder and later CEO of Maizels, Westerberg & Co.,^[2] which became a leading independent firm in M&A and corporate restructurings,^[3][4] advising on Scandinavia’s largest corporate rescue (Kooperativa Förbundet) and the largest corporate breakup in Europe (Procordia, creating Swedish Match and Pharmacia).^[5] MW & Co. pioneered Public Private Partnerships in the Nordic countries, advising state entities and governments. MW & Co. established advisory businesses in shipping and structured finance (e.g. Hambro Maizels Westerberg, with Hambros Bank) and in principal investing. The firm won a number of awards for its advisory work. MW& Co. was ranked No. 1 amongst independent European corporate finance houses by IFR in both 1998^[6] and 1999.^[7]

In July 1999, he was named as one of London’s top 10 Rain Makers by the Sunday Business newspaper.^[8] Florman and the other partners sold MW & Co. in 2000 to create MNB Maizels and thereafter ArosMaizels (created from the merger of six investment banking entities across six countries) which became the largest investment banking group in the Nordic region.

From 2001-2008 he was Senior Principal with the European private equity firm Doughty Hanson. He served as Vice Chairman and later Chairman of LM Glasfiber for a number of years, the world's leading manufacturer of blades for wind turbines, expanding manufacturing into Asia, Europe and North America, becoming the market leader in China.

In 2009, Florman co-founded 8Miles,^[9] the African private equity firm with Sir Bob Geldof and Kofi Annan. He has co-founded a number of businesses in the media, transport and publishing sectors, including the UK logistics business eCourier. He has also served as a member of the EASD (Belgium) and APCIMS (UK) Corporate Governance Committees, introducing four models of corporate governance - recommending proportional governance models according to company characteristic.

From January 2011 until April 2013, he was head of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association.^[10] where he has encouraged a new dialogue with regulators and politicians to see a substantial increase in the role of private equity and venture capital in driving economic growth in Europes economies . In 2012 an agreement was signed with the Government whereby UK’s venture capital industry is promoted worldwide . Florman has also been actively supporting the development of the venture industry in emerging markets.^[11] He has been an advocate of transparency and best practice in business for many years, recognising the role of business in contributing to social progress.

In January 2013, Florman warned against the UK's danger of imposing excessive or inappropriate financial regulation, saying the greatest threat was that of "being left behind".^[12] It is the banks and venture capitalists, he says, which can get the UK's small and medium sized companies, which he calls Britain's greatest wealth creators, investing and growing.^[13]

Philanthropic activities

Florman co-founded the Centre for Social Justice in 2004, the UK think tank regarding social justice and poverty. He also founded Build a School, in Africa, in August 2002, completing the building so far of 115 primary schools across East Africa, becoming a pioneer in rural development, incorporating agricultural training and savings and loans models for parents of the school children.^[14] He is on the Board of the African IP Trust,^[15] and is involved in many initiatives to increase investment in Africa to the benefit of Africans. In May 2013, the African IP Trust highlighted the issue that the Maasai people have received no royalties from the use of the Maasai name by scores of manufacturers including Louis Vuitton.^[16] Mark Florman is an active campaigner for a better understanding of risk in Africa, and has spoken widely on the need for better information and improved governance from African governments.

He is a supporter of social venture capital and puts forward a general case that NGOs should operate in accordance with sound business principles, and must be able to demonstrate a clear investment case for everything they do.^[17] One of his main arguments has been that better decisions will be made when business, impact philanthropy and political policy co-operate. He Chairs the DNA Summit,^[18] a gathering of the worlds leading innovators, to improve cooperation and to generate new ideas. He is the chair of the Centre for Social Justice and the (Olympic) Legacy List^[19] and on the board of the Early Intervention Foundation,^[20] the Spayne Lindsay Foundation and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce.^[21] He is an Ambassador of the Royal Albert Hall and Build Africa, and, a close friend of Margaret Thatcher,^[22] has been active in politics, advising the UK Conservative Party on strategy and financing (and served as Deputy Treasurer from 2002–2007).

Notes and references

• Financial Times 02/09/2010
• Daily Telegraph 03/09/2010
• Financial Times 19/11/2011

Bibliography

• The Florman Guide to Europe's Best Restaurants Publisher (The Florman's Guide Ltd, 2001) ISBN 0-9639626-0-4
• Trusting People, A Fair Deal for Everybody Mark Florman and Greg Clark (The Conservative Party, 2003) ISBN 0-9544917-5-0

External links

• African IP Trust
• Build Africa
• British Venture Capital Association
• Centre for Social Justice
• Spayne Lindsay Foundation
• Swedish Chamber of Commerce UK
• The Legacy List