Mark Lawrence (MBA 2015) 'HR leader to watch'

Alumnus Mark Lawrence (MBA 2015) has featured online in Visier's 25 top HR Leaders to watch in 2022.

People Analytics expert Mark Lawrence (MBA 2015) has been recognised as a promising HR leader for bringing analytics and insights to the top of the people agenda, and harnessing one of Visier’s HR superpowers: ‘daring’. Mark commented in the feature:

“Having an approach that is ‘daring’ is an important part of bringing analytics to life for many in HR. Analytics leaders and sponsors need to be bold, to dare to identify and attack the biggest challenges faced by their organisations.”

Mark has seen a distinguished career in People Analytics and Human Resources following the completion of his MBA, having previously worked as Director and Global Head of Organisation and People Analytics at GSK. He is currently working to determine a new operating model for data and analytics in HR at Diageo, a multinational alcohol beverage company with headquarters in London. 

He graduated from the Leeds MBA in 2015 and spoke fondly of his decision to come to Leeds:

“Joining Leeds University Business School was a very quick decision. Before coming to Leeds my career had stalled and I was passed over for a couple of promotions that I believed I deserved. In the end I felt I needed to take the time to invest in additional qualifications in order to build my network and credibility. So, after a few fast phone calls, I managed to secure my place on the Leed MBA programme and I resigned the same day (just in time to start the course a month later).

This accolade is also a huge testament to how the University of Leeds helped to propel my career to the next level.

“The MBA helped me to make sense of the knowledge I already had; but also extended my capacity, my resources and my toolkit. That was 6 years ago. Last month, being listed by Visier Inc. in their ‘Top 25 HR Leaders to Watch in 2022’ is a huge accolade, for me and for my family who supported me through my MBA and my career since.”

Read Visier’s article on the 25 HR leaders to watch in 2022 online.