What’s your name and where d’you come from?
I’m Mark. I was born London, spent my school years in Norfolk, went to university in Brighton and then came back to London around 10 years ago.
Why did you join Adaptive Lab?
I started at Adaptive Lab six years ago as a contractor. At the time James ran the company as a network, building teams and then disbanding them as required. While his network allowed him to put together great teams at short notice, it was clear the model wouldn’t scale. As the project I was working on grew and James starting thinking about creating a permanent team, we talked a lot about company culture and the type of work we both wanted to do. It was clear from those discussions that we had similar ideas and ambitions, so when James asked me to join the team permanently it was easy to say yes.
What’s your favourite thing about your job?
The people I work with – we have an incredible team – and the range and scope of the projects we get to work on. Everyday is different and challenging but we’re making a impact and having fun while we’re doing it.
What scares you?
Most recently, the thing that scares me the most is the popularisation of being anti-expertise and anti-science. It’s obviously a deliberate tactic being employed for short-term gain by a small group of people but could have devastating and wide ranging long term effects.
What’s the most obscure/random job you’ve had?
I’ve had a couple… I worked for a fencing company, putting up barbed wire fences; did a two week stint as a ‘cowboy’ on an Australian farm; and spent a summer monitoring the quality of grain used to create beer.
What is your favourite book?
Difficult question. Probably Neuromancer by William Gibson or pretty much anything by Ian M. Banks.
Where’s Wally?
Underneath a red and white hat.