I consider myself very privileged to have met and know Mark T Jones, and better to have worked with him, seen his talent in action. And I want to explain to others what his strengths are, so he can perhaps better achieve the things he wants to.
I feel his talents lie in two principal areas, where Mark is extremely gifted. And he then applies these to so many different areas.
Firstly, Mark can be only a little short of world class in his communication skills. He can both entertain, and be pithy. He can be analytical, yet step back to see trends and the bigger picture.
He is fabulously well read, has a strong grasp of history and the mistakes that have been made in the past, and also very well travelled. And Mark puts all these facets to work when he is communicating. But perhaps the real key is what Mark chooses to communicate about. His ability to pick a strategy that gets to the heart of the matter, instinctively and unerringly finding a way forward.
And he is equally adept as a mentor, picking out key qualities in a supportive manner, and encouraging and nudging away for progress. But a key strut running through Mark is his stout defence of minority and oppressed rights, and he is also well able to explain the benefits that working diversity brings to national economic efforts.
He is also a champion of attempts to drive down corruption, thereby reducing the overall costs of international trade. Nations who have a culture where kickbacks are the norm, across almost all supervisory and state bodies, nullify the effect of potentially lower labour costs and increase in-land project complexity, risk and encumbent and attaching costs.
Putting his cultural understanding together with his understanding of trade dealings from country to country, makes Mark great counsel for how to do business in a particular country, and also who can be trusted to advise once there.
His special focus is on the Horn of Africa, whereupon he has founded the Horn of Africa Business Association. We all know there are untapped mineral deposits right around the world, and perhaps Mark is one of the few who has a handle on, and the grit and determination to try as far as possible, to ensure that all African society strata benefits from the inward attention and "investment" that such mineral deposits attract.
So Mark's other focuses include water projects, food projects, African education, equality, diversity.
There's enough here for any single man to undertake, and still maintain clarity and focus. And yet Mark is gaining traction though his foresight and clear talking !! Governments want to talk to Mark. Global trade bodies. Large lawyer and accountant firms.
So watch this space. With luck, and aided by Mark's strategic focus and star quality communication, expect real employment opportunities to emerge in the next 2 to 3 years, as the work Mark needs to do grows, and he starts to think about how to delegate the workload. Perhaps this might be to a global network of alert and lean entrepreneurs, who can add clear value to what Mark is trying to achieve. Only time will tell.
And what a refreshing change such employment will be from listening to people trying to earn their living by caterwauling on the local X Factor !
