Mark Lester Email & Phone Number

London, GB

London, GB

Eden is an ambitious edtech venture that is reinventing traditional higher education paradigms and will transform how millions of people manage and develop their careers. In so doing, we aim to achieve our vision of bringing social and economic advancement to entire regions and communities.

London, England, GB

• Oversee all account development operations and value added services to universities and educational partners, including recruitment to and delivery of online degrees, micro credentials and short courses, and support or.
• Devised and negotiated the establishment of the European Microcredential Framework across all European MOOC platforms, a common standard for microcredentials as the basis for a new international credential
• Major contributor to FutureLearn’s successful round of fundraising, securing £50M from Seek, a publicly quoted Australian careers company
• Expanded the partnership into the US, including new partnerships with Johns Hopkins, Penn State, Darden Business School and UC Irvine.

London, England, GB

• Direct partnership development and key account management activities for FutureLearn's major strategic partners, and lead the online degrees business for FutureLearn.
• Led the multi-lateral negotiations with 22 UK and international universities to agree common contract
• Expanded the partnership from 22 to 80 elite universities and institutions across every continent in 2 years
• Pioneered and led FutureLearn's strategic move into online degrees including proposition development and commercial negotiations with the initial university partners.
• Secured and negotiated the first 8 multi-year agreements with universities to deliver degrees with FutureLearn, and managed the strategic relationships with these universities.
• Built up and directed FutureLearn's healthcare course proposition, including forming partnerships with major healthcare partners such as Health Education England, the Royal College of Physicians, the Wellcome Genome.

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, GB

• Leading strategy projects involving income diversification and partnerships, working to the Vice Chancellor and the Vice Chancellor's Executive team.
• Produced the international expansion strategy for the Open University and presented recommendations to the university's Council.
• Devised the Open University’s strategic response to MOOCs and set out the strategic options that supported the creation of one of the world’s foremost MOOC platforms.
• Oversaw external consultancy on project to evaluate the impact of the Open University's Widening Participation activities

Ran the programme of projects across the BRE, oversaw the major restructure of the BRE, and developed the new strategy for the unit.

Oversaw major change to underwriting operations involving 50 staff, delivered all competitor analysis, integrated building insurance solution into underwriting system and processes, and supported business development.

• Senior strategy consultant to corporates and governments in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Example client activity included:
• Reformed the strategic planning and budgeting processes of one the world's largest multinational agro-chemical company with 15,000
• Jointly developed the growth and investment strategy for the national biotechnology sector of an OECD country
• Directed the redesign of an Asian country’s healthcare financing system for the Permanent Secretary and Minister of Health, managing 20 consultants and ministry officials
• Co-managed an organisational restructuring and change management programme for a global port operator, working directly with CxO level management.
• Developed the feasibility and investment case for a private oncology and multi-specialty hospital for China’s largest life science conglomerate. Presented findings to the Group CEO.

Msc, Russian And Post-Soviet Studies

Bachelor, International History