Mark is the founder of Outward Bound Oman, the first Outward Bound school in the Arabic speaking world. OBO is a not-for-profit foundation that uses challenging outdoor journeys to develop the national talent of Oman, helping shape the lives of nearly 25,000 people to date. He has lived in Arabia for more than 25 years.
In 2005 he was cited by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth as a Pioneer of the Nation for his work in outdoor education, and in 2012 was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty for his work using challenging outdoor journeys for personal development and learning. In 2023 Mark was awarded the Medal of Honour by The Sultan of Oman for his work establishing Outward Bound in the Sultanate.
In 2016 Mark led a team of Omanis to become the first people in 85 years to retrace the first crossing of the largest sand desert on earth-the Rub Al Khali, a 49 day journey on foot and by camel from Salalah to Doha, and earlier this year he completed his latest expedition, a 28-day east west crossing of Saudi Arabia in the 1917 footsteps of explorer Harry St John Philby.
