Mark Gainsford

Based in Canberra, Mark is the strategy and business development lead for the National Security & Defence sector. He is leading the development and implementation of a major transformation strategy and program that will significantly enhance the way Cisco delivers outcomes for its customers and partners. Mark has been with Cisco for eleven years, having fulfilled other roles in the Services, Sales and Customer Experience organisations as follows: -- Services Delivery Executive leader in Cisco's Customer Experience organisation where Mark was responsible for all aspects of Cisco Services delivery for Defence & Federal Government customers - managing and developing a dedicated consulting and support team, leading executive stakeholder engagement and reporting, and ensuring Cisco delivered on its contracted service level agreements and milestones. -- Senior Consultant in the Cisco Services team responsible for working with National Security clients to shape their ICT strategy, enterprise network architecture and delivery of critical digital capabilities. -- Business Leader in an Asia-Pacific Sales team focussed on sales growth and strategic engagement in the National Security & Defence market. He provided leadership support and domain expertise across directed opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region to expand market opportunities, enhance senior customer relationships and lead a regional vertical expert team to enhance field operations and sales activities. Before joining Cisco, Mark served for 25 years in the Australian Army as a Signals Officer. He left the Army with a rank of Colonel having served in a variety of command and staff appointments within Australia and on operational service in Iraq, East Timor and Bougainville. Mark has Masters of Management and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of New South Wales, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Information Technology from the University of Southern Queensland.