Mark Wells joins College as new Domestic Bursar

The College's new Domestic Bursar, Mark Wells, takes up his post today, succeeding Commodore John Harris who has held the role for the last 14 years. The Domestic Bursar is responsible for the internal administration of the College and is in charge of a wide range of facilities and services. In this role he oversees activities such as building projects, housekeeping, catering, tourism, and maintenance of the grounds and gardens.

Mark studied Law at St John’s College before qualifying as a solicitor, and then, after deciding that a career in law was not for him, he joined Next PLC as a management trainee. He studied for an MBA at Stirling University, where he was awarded the Siemens Nixdorf Prize for Quantitative Analysis, and subsequently joined Boots PLC where his roles over the following ten years included business troubleshooter and Director of Customer Services.

In 2000 he joined Games Workshop Group PLC, and after holding a series of international sales positions he became Chief Executive in 2007 where he was instrumental in tripling the value of the business. He also became Chair of the Governors of Abbotsholme School in 2002 where he helped save the educational charity from bankruptcy; when he left in 2012 the school was thriving and was generating an annual surplus of more than £400K.

On taking on the role of Domestic Bursar, Mark says, "When I was at John's as an undergraduate, I took for granted all the support I received from people around the College; whether it was my bedder, the people who cooked my meals, or the porters at the lodge. I went off and did all sorts of other things after College, as every Johnian does, but when I looked back afterwards it seemed to me that these people were the unsung heroes of the College environment. When the opportunity to become Domestic Bursar came along I saw it as a chance to support these people in doing their jobs and help them continue to make a difference."