Dr Mark Bacon BSc PhD FCMI

Chief Operating Officer

Mark Bacon

Role: Chief Operating Officer
Phone: +44 (0)1782 733440
Email: m.bacon@keele.ac.uk
Email other: s.e.mason@keele.ac.uk
Location: Claus Moser CM2.14
Contacting me: Personal Assistant - Sue Mason - s.e.mason@keele.ac.uk

Biography

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) leads the professional services and is responsible for strategy delivery to underpin institutional growth and efficiency across our educational, research and professional service portfolios. The COO has oversight of the professional services for:

  • Estates and campus services
  • Human resources and organisational development
  • Global student recruitment and admissions
  • Strategic communications and brand
  • Academic and registry services
  • Information and digital services
  • The Library
  • Science and Innovation Park
  • Faculty and school-based professional services
  • Global partnerships
  • Research support and strategy delivery
  • External engagement and partnerships
  • Academic planning
  • Legal, governance and compliance services
  • Health and safety, incident management and business continuity
  • Sustainability and Net Zero Delivery
  • Commercial activities

The COO oversees plans to deliver financial sustainability. This includes our on-going plans to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and grow new income streams - across all areas of university activity.

Mark graduated with a BSc and PhD in Biological Sciences from Lancaster University, where he was a member of staff from 1997 to 2014. During his time Mark developed several major programmes of collaboration with business, including 3 university-business incubation facilities, a Centre for Global Eco-innovation, an EU network on responsible innovation and an international partnership with the Guangdong Department for Science & Technology. In 2008 Mark was part of the team receiving the award of a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for further and higher education, on behalf of Lancaster University, from Queen Elizabeth II.

Mark moved to Keele University in 2014 initially as Director of Engagement & Partnerships and then as Director of Research, Innovation & Engagement. Over that period Mark led teams to develop and deliver several major cross-institutional projects at Keele. These included the development and delivery of strategies relating to business and regional engagement; research and REF; degree-level apprenticeships; employability & employer engagement; the public arts; and alumni & supporter engagement. As part of this, Mark has led university-wide collaborations across professional and academic teams to secure over £60m in external investment. This included the investment to create Europe's first Smart Energy Network Demonstrator; the Denise Coates Foundation Building: a new home for Keele Business School and new facilities for university-business collaboration; and Innovation Centre 7: home to our Institute for Digital Futures.

Mark became Chief Operating Officer at Keele University on 1 October 2019. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.