Mark Thompson (Author and Venture Investor)
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Mark Thompson is co-author of the international bestseller, Success Build to Last as well as a venture investor and a producer/coach of the executive leadership program, Success Built to Last. Thompson’s list of clients includes executives, entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders and billionaires to the presidents of nations and leaders of small and large organizations like:
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[edit] Career
Thompson worked for a dozen years for Charles Schwab, serving in a variety of senior roles, including Chief Communications Officer and, later, as Executive Producer responsible for the customer experience of Schwab.com, which was in the late 90’s one of the world’s largest transaction websites.
Thompson is a venture investor, management advisor and former board member of private and public companies. He served as Chairman of Rioport, Inc., which was the first internet music service (SaaS connected to devices) to legally offer digital songs from all the major music labels. Rioport was spun out of Diamond Multimedia which popularized the first commercial MP3 player, the "Rio".[1][citation needed]; he was Chairman of Integration, Inc., a communications semiconductor company; and Chairman of VMAX, which was the exclusive distributor of Micron PCs in China[citation needed]. He has been speaker at London Business School, Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, The Economist and Fortune Magazine conferences, The New York Stock Exchange summits with The Churchill Club and Financial Executives Institute. He served on the Council of The Heartland Circle Thought Leaders Gatherings. At the World Economic Forum, he served as a Governor for the Securities Industry and a Lecturer/Member at their annual meetings in Davos, Switzerland.
Thompson has been an advisor to Stanford’s Realtime Venture Design Lab (ReVeL), which seeks to improve the potential sustainability of new ventures by helping the founding team discover and articulate a compelling, unified theme based on their identity that inspires the stakeholders and the communities they serve.
He was a member of the board Best Buy Enterprises, Korn Ferry International, Interwoven and Teletech, and was an advisor to Kabira, Captara and many other private startups. He served on the board of the National Investor Relations Institute and Seniornet.com. In 1996 he accepted an appointment to U.S. SEC Consumer Advisory Council. He also created the Leaders of the New Century series through his production company, Network Public Broadcasting International, and was a contributor and host for CEO and executive interviews for thought leaders programs by Korn Ferry International and Ernst & Young. All net proceeds from Thompson’s NPBI programs are contributed to charity[citation needed].
[edit] Books
Thompson’s interviews with business thought leaders formed the foundation for the book, Success Built to Last, and also resulted in many audio and video programs, including, the Charles Schwab CEO series, Women on Leadership, Seven Sacred Secrets with Maya Angelou, and the DVD program, Creating a Life that Matters. He executive produced the audiobook, Hidden Kitchens, in 2005 and the Lost & Found Sound series on National Public Radio in 2004.
[edit] Awards and Accolades
In 2004, Forbes Magazine included Thompson on its list of America’s leading venture investors with the “Midas” touch for his work with many technology and media startups. Thompson’s audiobook series, Hidden Kitchens, for which he served as executive producer, won Audie and Columbia/duPont awards and his Lost & Found Sound series, for which he also executive produced on National Public Radio, won a coveted Peabody award.
[edit] Personal life
Thompson has a passion for education and educational media, particularly for those in need. He volunteers his time and money to independent producers of public broadcasting and to classroom and scholarship programs for elementary and graduate education programs, from Montessori grade schools to college degrees for single moms.
He is married to his wife of 25 years, Bonita, and together they have a 7 year old daughter, Vanessa. The Thompsons love immersion in many world cultures, along with photography, videography, musical theatre, jazz dance, singing and renewable sustainable (as in solar) energy.
