Mark Jeynes is a Partner at CIL Management Consultants, where he leads the Education & Training Practice. Mark has over 20 years’ experience as a management consultant. He has extensive experience advising investors and clients in the international education sector, across a wide range of segments, including early years (pre-K), K-12, further education, higher education, professional education and corporate training. The geographic scope of his experience includes the UK, Western Europe, the US, India, GCC, Asia, Australia and Africa.
In his career to date, Mark has completed more than 100 education engagements, advising leading private equity firms and operators on commercial due diligence, market entry and expansion, proposition development, pricing and opportunity identification and assessment. Prior to joining CIL, Mark was a Partner at The Parthenon Group (now EY-Parthenon) and OC&C Strategy Consultants. He is also a co-founder of Inspiring Futures Education, an international schools’ group in the UK. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Banking & Finance from Loughborough University of Technology and an MBA from London Business School.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with Higher Education Digest, Mark shared his professional trajectory, the inspiration behind establishing Inspiring Futures Education, personal leadership style, the secret mantra behind his success, future plans, words of wisdom, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
Hi Mark. What inspired you to focus on the education sector, and how have you seen the industry evolve over the past 20 years?
I commenced my career in management consulting in 1999, having completed an MBA at London Business School (LBS). Prior to LBS, I spent 6 years in commercial banking roles in London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Qatar with HSBC.
I joined The Parthenon Group from LBS. Parthenon was a spin-off from Bain & Company. For the first few years, I advised clients across a range of sectors. From 2003, I was asked to establish Parthenon’s Private Equity Practice in the UK, advising PE firms on investments across all sectors.
At the same time, Parthenon’s Education Center of Excellence was becoming increasingly established as a leading advisor to the education sector, serving both public and private, for-profit clients in the US. As the consulting industry pivoted towards sector specialism, education was one of the key sectors where Parthenon had a genuine source of differentiation. Parthenon’s London office was able to leverage the expertise developed in the US and gradually developed a leading reputation in the education sector in the UK and Europe.
I was appointed Partner at Parthenon in 2007, with a growing focus on our education clients, alongside my work with private equity investors.
In those ‘early years’, the for-profit education sector was very much a cottage industry in the UK – private education was a much smaller part of the overall education ecosystem in the UK compared to in the US. With supply-side reforms implemented by successive governments in the UK and a growing interest in education from investors, the roe and contribution of the private sector grew. Advances in technology also provided a huge catalyst for change. As a result, there are today many more private, for-profit education businesses in the UK compared to 20 years ago.
Tell us about Inspiring Futures Education? What is its mission and vision?
After 15 years, I decided to take a step back from full-time consulting in 2014, establishing Inspiring Futures Education (IFE) with my business partner, Charlie Freer. Charlie had previously spent 10 years in commercial roles in the private K-12 sector. We were both excited about the opportunities in education and specifically, the increasing attractiveness of the UK as a destination market for internationally mobile students.
IFE’s schools, currently Bishopstrow College and Padworth College, provide a stepping stone for students, helping them to prepare for and progress on to the next stage of their education, whether that be boarding school for students at Bishopstrow or university for students at Padworth. In most cases, students progress on to British schools and universities, which have a reputation around the world for offering excellence. It is for this reason that IFE uses the strapline ‘Pathways to Excellence’ and why our logo, visible on our website, social media and every publication, reflects a gateway. Everything we do at IFE is driven by a strong desire to support our students in preparing for and making a successful transition to their destination school or university, where they can achieve their true potential.
How do you stay current with emerging trends and technologies in education, and what role do you think innovation plays in driving student success?
CIL’s Education Practice provides strategic advisory support to a range of clients across the education sector, as well as investors in education. We are often engaged to support clients address key strategic challenges and opportunities, including those linked to technology. When conducting commercial due diligence for investors, not surprisingly, a key question that will always form part of the diligence scope is the impact of AI. In order to address these questions, we conduct desk-based research and analysis, complemented by interviews with market experts. We are therefore able to provide fact-based and informed perspectives.
Innovation continues to play a key role in driving student success. For example, good note-taking is essential for managing the information that students read and listen to during lectures. There are a number of different note-taking techniques. Applications like Goodnotes offer students a more effective approach to note-taking, whilst Goodnotes Classroom enables teachers to connect with each student, grade papers faster and make lessons more engaging and collaborative.
What are some common challenges you’ve encountered in education management, and how have you addressed them in your consulting and leadership work?
I spent 8 years as an owner / operator / investor in Inspiring Futures Education, managing two international schools in the UK. Day-to-day education management presents a myriad of challenges, but some of the most significant issues that we faced at IFE (from 2014 to 2022) included the impact of the UK government’s policy towards international students – with a tightening of visa policy – and the impact of the Covid pandemic in 2020, when in the space of a week (in March 2020), we had to evolve two boarding schools with international students resident on campus with a full schedule of classroom-based, face-to-face lessons, to a Teams-based learning environment, with students joining classes remotely from around the world.
Looking ahead, what do you believe are the most critical issues facing the education sector, and how can leaders and consultants help shape the future of education?
The most critical issues facing the education sector vary by segment and geography. Whilst raising academic standards and outcomes continues to be a key objective for most education providers, other issues may well dominate currently. For example, the higher education sector in the UK is facing a significant funding crisis, with the ‘golden age’ of higher education well and truly over. The financial sustainability of some HEIs in the UK is questionable, with some universities reportedly facing bankruptcy. Against this background, university leadership teams and other key stakeholders, including the UK government and the Office for Students need to consider all possible options, including increasing tuition fees and lifting visa restrictions imposed on international students by the previous Conservative government.
How do you describe your leadership style? What values are important to you as a leader?
My leadership style is probably best described as being collaborative and probably also relaxed! Values of importance include integrity / honesty, humility, commitment, resilience, optimism and creativity!
Which one of your accomplishments makes you the proudest till date?
We started IFE from scratch. Over the past 10 years, we have developed a small international schools’ group in the UK, with a leading reputation. Having previously spent 15 years as a management consultant, establishing and growing IFE definitely represented a significant step outside my ‘comfort zone’. The progress that we have made at IFE therefore represents one of the accomplishments about which I am most proud.
You have had a remarkable career trajectory over the years. What is the secret mantra behind your success?
It is really important to find a career path that you can be passionate about. I love my work as a management consultant, which offers variety, intellectual stimulation and the opportunity to work with smart, motivated people to help address some of the most challenging strategic issues faced by our clients. It is also fun!
It is also important to have an excellent work ethic. Success does not generally come without making a real commitment!
What is your biggest goal? Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
I returned to full-time consulting in 2022 to lead the Education Practice at CIL Management Consultants. We have an excellent team of experts focused on education and training. Over the next 5 years, I am focused on developing CIL’s Education Practice so that we are recognized as being one of the leading consulting firms focused on education.
What top tips would you give to an individual who is trying to excel in their career in higher education?
I have not worked in the higher education sector but have advised many higher education clients and investors in the HE sector. I think the key factors that have applied to my career should also apply to an individual who is trying to excel in higher education: find a role that you are passionate about; surround yourself with excellent people; and work hard!