Chipping Campden School

My rugby journey started when I was 12 at Stow on the Wold rugby club after playing my younger years of sport in football. Quickly, I fell in love with the sport and found out that I was actually not too bad at it. My pathway into Gloucester Rugby actually started at Chipping Campden School as my old PE teacher, Mr Graham, put me forward for a place in the Gloucester Development Pathway Program. I made my way through the pathway into the U18 academy and after that season earned my first professional contract. Since then, I have represented England at the U20s six nations where I helped the team to a grand slam. Now fully in the Gloucester first team my next step is to try and get into England's main squad.

My love for art and creativity is where my design career started, and since leaving Chipping Campden School, my joumey has been varied and inspiring, shaped by design, visual storytelling, and strategic marketing. I began by studying 3D Design at Warwickshire College, where I developed foundational skills in product, graphic design, and art history. I then went on to complete a BA (Hons) in Product Design at Nottingham Trent University, where I was proud to be a finalist in the RSA Student Design Awards. Since 2015, I've worked as a Freelance Designer under Harris Design, collaborating with a diverse range of clients to elevate brand presence through graphic design, print, and social media marketing. In 2022, I took a break from freelancing to join Whiteroom Agency as a Marketing & Creative Executive, where I developed branded assets and interiors for global names like Giant, CAT Footwear, and Ritual Coffee, while also managing digital content and liaising directly with clients. After this, I decided to return to freelancing full-time, as it offered the flexibility to work with a broader range of clients and pursue personal and professional development on my own terms. Most recently, CotswoldXL magazine became a client of mine during my retum to freelance work. I helped showcase their brand identity and enhance their social media presence by producing both print and digital content, developing creative layouts and marketing materials that supported the magazine's overall strategy and visual direction. Alongside this, I've been working with a wide range of businesses across the Cotswolds, helping small independent brands increase their visibility through tailored design and marketing solutions. Alongside my professional experience. I'm currently advancing my academic knowledge with an MA in Art History at the Open University, further enriching my creative perspective.

Having always wanted to fly, Mark joined the RAF straight after completing his A-levels. After finishing Officer Training he spent the next 4 years undertaking flying training in various aircraft all around the country. This led to a posting to his first front-line squadron flying Sentinel, a surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft based on a modified business jet. Flying as part of a crew of 5 he operated in several conflict zones and operations over the next 7 years, including Afghanistan, Libya, Mali and Iraq, initially as a co- pilot, then upgrading to captain in 2013. Approaching the end of his Sentinel tour in 2015 Mark was offered an extension of service to stay in the RAF and fly Voyager, a large transport and air-to-air refuelling tanker based on the Airbus A330. He quickly upgraded to become an instructor and examiner, flying passengers and refuelling all over the world. When one Voyager was converted to a VIP configuration in 2019 he was offered the role of VIP captain. He has flown HRH The Prince of Wales/HM The King on State Visits including the Caribbean, Egypt, Jordan, Rwanda, Germany and Kenya, as well as various Prime Ministers and diplomats. Recently Mark was promoted to become the Standards and Evaluation pilot, responsible for the professional standards, assurance and examination of all