Mark Little

Media and Digital Entrepreneur,  Former Foreign Affairs Broadcaster & Journalist 



Using the lessons from the past to navigate the current age of disruption, technology and fake news

Biography

  • Media and Digital entrepreneur on the global stage. Established and successfully sold two media companies in 11 years. 
  • Host of the podcast The History of the Future
  • National broadcaster RTE’s first Washington Correspondent, then Foreign Correspondent
  •  Award-winning journalist (TV Journalist of the Year) and author of three books

The search for truth is the lifeblood of Mark Little’s multifaceted career, which has seen him progress from being an award-winning young journalist to a successful digital media entrepreneur and a powerful speaker on leadership, disinformation and innovation who gets stellar reviews such as: “Mark made it an EVENT. He injected an energy that was contagious – taking in the scientific jargon and translating it into real life. A fantastic day!” (Enterprise Ireland.

Mark believes that we should draw on lessons from the past as they are a rich reservoir of guidance for the future. Currently, in collaboration with Trinity College, he is hosting a podcast on this exact topic called The History of the Future

 

Journalist and Broadcaster

A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, for years Mark worked for the Sunday Business Post before becoming RTE’s first Washington Correspondent, in 1995. Six years later he returned to Ireland as their Foreign Correspondent, and in the same year won TV Journalist of the Year in the ESB National Media Awards. From there he went on to co-present Ireland’s flagship current affairs programme, Prime Time, for eight years.

Digital Media Entrepreneur

In 2009 Mark took a year’s leave of absence from RTÉ to pursue a project. In 2010 that project was launched as the social news agency Storyful, which in 2013 he sold to News International. Two years later he joined Twitter, first as vice president of media and partnerships in Europe and then as managing director of Twitter in Ireland. He resigned in 2016 to set up the media company Kinzen with entrepreneur,  journalist & speaker  Aine Kerr.

Further evidence of his entrepreneurial flair came in September 2022 when they sold Kinzen to Spotify for an undisclosed fee. Today, drawing on his experience at Kinzen helping to identify misinformation and hate speech, Mark leads Spotify’s Product Safety Strategy as the streaming platform looks to improve safety.

Mark’s varied expertise is remarkable – everything from interviewing world leaders like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, to reporting from war zones in Iraq. He has also written three books. 

  • Turn Left at Greenland: In Search of the Real America
  • Zulu Time 
  • The New America – based on his experience and observations while working on the Obama Campaign 

As a speaker, Mark invites his audience to think about the future, and shares his experiences with energy and currency. His incisive thinking and broad worldview make him an agile chairman and a versatile keynote speaker who can command a room with ease. 



Future Proof: Lessons for Leadership in an Age of Constant Change

Today’s leaders face an impossible task; managing their teams through unprecedented uncertainty, while simultaneously preparing for exponential disruption in their industries. One thing is for sure: change is a constant. With that in mind, how do leaders position their organisations for future success? How do they turn a struggle for survival into the superpower of resilience?

In this talk, Mark Little helps leaders and teams embrace the future by sharing his personal experience of leading through change, and exploring the strategies that helped him become future-proof. His unique journey along the faultlines of big tech, entrepreneurship and global politics will help the audience re-imagine leadership in an age of constant change, and understand how great organisations turn fear of change into a passionate embrace of the future.

Leadership:  How to be an effective, trusted leader in an era of constant risk.
Drawing on his own experience, Mark urges leaders to acknowledge their own frailties and ‘failures’ so that theirs becomes a work culture where a growth mindset is the norm.  

Innovation:  Making innovation and risk-taking a game everyone can play.
In this talk, Mark looks at how we can reduce risk by unearthing the wisdom we already have, freeing us up to innovate effectively.  

Disinformation:  Take the contamination out of the information ecosystem.
How individuals and organisations can fight back against ‘fake news’ and ensure they get the facts they need to make the best decisions. 

Masterclasses

You may want to go deeper with your audience. Masterclasses can be tailored and developed to suit your audience needs, be it a 90-minute Masterclass, a half-day or full-day workshop or a full online or face-to-face programme. Please contact one of our expert team to discuss.

When the only constant is change … A New Leadership Mindset for the New Normal
In every crisis there is an opportunity. After the drama of 2020, serial entrepreneur and journalist Mark Little explores the opportunities for great leaders in 2021 and beyond. Drawing on his experiences from war zones to board rooms, Mark will offer lessons in great leadership in a time of great change. This masterclass will offer grounded inspiration for change-makers in every sector, and challenge some of the myths about the innovation mindset.

Videos

Resources

Books
Resources

Testimonials

“We are basking in the glory of a very successful event last Wednesday. Feedback has been very strong – in no small part attributed to your presentation. A number of our clients sought us out to comment that “it was a great choice”, “very interesting guy”, “well done – great idea” and so on. So on behalf of the team here at SSGA Ireland, I would like to thank you for helping us mark this event down as a great success. I look forward to working with you again in the future.” – Statestreet

 “Mark went down an absolute treat – he was fantastic and the pitch was right on the money for the theme of the day.” – Tara Whaley, BT

“The Conference went extremely well we were delighted with it and the feedback to date has been fantastic. Mark was great and as always extremely professional.” – Avine McNally, Actin Director, Small Firms Association

“The Conference went extremely well we were delighted with it and the feedback to date has been fantastic. Mark was great and as always extremely professional.”

“Mark made it an EVENT, he injected an energy that was contagious – taking in the scientific jargon and translating it into real life. A fantastic day! We’ll be back…” – Dr. Imelda Lambki, National Director for FP7, Enterprise Ireland

“Well done on another top class performance, and loving the witty asides also! Really excellent command and interaction.” – Jane Devitt, McConnells Advertising

“Mark Little was an excellent chairperson at the SFA Annual Conference. He was the glue that held the day together. His relaxed, flexible, informative, witty & intelligent approach to the day was really appreciated by all the speakers and delegates. He excelled at time-management throughout the day, and his research into the speakers and topics really shone through. Feedback from all involved has been terrific.” – Patricia Callan, Director, Small Firms Association

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