“Our job is not to change the world, but to show the world how to change”….
Mark has over thirty years’ international experience in multiple industries including management consultancy, biotech, IT, finance, economic development & transport.
Mark was born and brought up in Cardiff but left in 1981 and headed to Manchester University where he graduated in Physics and The Analysis of Science and Technology in 1985. After a short spell at Ferranti in Manchester as Technical Author, Mark’s early career was spent in London’s growing software industry. Then from 1997 to 2002 he worked for the PA Consulting Group leading projects for clients in Europe and North America.
In 2002 he returned to work in Cardiff and in 2003 founded, raised several £Ms in equity finance and was until 2009, CEO of biotech company Q Chip Ltd. Mark now has his own consultancy business and provides support & advice in the fields of economic development and transport strategy; he has also assisted start-up and early-stage companies.
Since 2010, Mark has also been working on first conceiving and then developing the South Wales Metro (or Cardiff Capital Region Metro) concept. In February 2011, Mark’s report, “A Metro for Wales’ Capital City Region – Connecting Cardiff, Newport and the Valleys” was published by The Cardiff Business Partnership in conjunction with The Institute of Welsh Affairs.
That report made the case for enhanced regional connectivity & city region governance to grow the economy of The Cardiff Capital Region. He also played a lead role in 2011/12 in the campaign for the electrification of the GWML from Paddington to Swansea and presented evidence to Westminster’s Transport Committee as part of their review of High Speed Rail.
In March 2013, Mark prepared (with support from Capita, JLL, The Urbanists, IWA, Cardiff Business School and The Cardiff Business Partnership), “A Cardiff City Region Metro: transform | regenerate | connect” (which also included reference to the “Cardiff Crossrail” Project) which was published by the Metro Consortium. This led to a commission from the Welsh Government to produce, “The Metro Impact Study”, which Mark led (and included a multi-disciplinary team including Capita, The Urbanists, SDG, JLL), published in November 2013.
From November 2013 to January 2016 Mark led Metro Development for the Welsh Government and helped prepare, “Rolling out our Metro”, which was published to coincide with the First Minister’s announcement in November 2015 of a formal commitment to deliver the South Wales Metro.
In 2016 Mark took up a part time role as Professor of Practice in Connectivity at Cardiff University’s School of Geography and Planning and in that role has led a number of engagement initiatives, most notably, “Metro and Me” in 2018.
In 2018 he also led a major study for Welsh Government to make the case for further investment in Wales’ rail network, “The Case for Investment”. That work laid the foundation for further development of Metro/regional transport systems in Swansea Bay and North Wales; Mark is also supporting that work. He subsequently presented evidence to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee at Westminster as part of their investigation of rail investment in Wales.
During 2018 and 2019 he helped Cardiff Council set out a vision for a rapid transit network in the city and a Cardiff Crossrail and supported the city in the development of its Transport White Paper. Early in 2021 Mark also prepared the Passenger Rail Vision for the Cardiff Capital Region and in 2021/2/3 worked with the Western Gateway to help prepare its 2050 Rail Vision. From 2020-2024 Mark was also a part time advisor to Transport for Wales and helped establish Metro/regional Development Programmes – and a range of business cases to support further transport schemes across the country.
Over the last fifteen years Mark has and continues to appear in the media (TV, radio, press, social media) to make the case for enhanced public transport and fare rail funding for Wales. He is currently preparing a book about the South Wales Metro. It conveys how it happened from Mark’s perspective, from the publication of his first report in 2011 through to the First Minister’s announcement to go ahead in 2015, through procurement in 2016-18, right through to the present day. He also explores some of the challenges and issues related to rail funding in the UK, car dependency and transit-oriented development, all within the context of our collective obligation to reduce carbon emissions.
Mark Barry 