LDC Top 50 2024
Mark Seaborn
Group Director
Pennington Choices
“We just finished our second five-year plan and we are set to double revenue again.” Former consultant Mark Seaborn launched Pennington Choices in 2000, offering consulting and services to organisations with complex properties, like NHS trusts, local authorities and schools.
“I’ve always had something to prove,” he explains. “My dad started as a decorator and I was the first person in my family to go to university. For someone like me, it’s the fear of failure that pushes you forward.” His company is unique because it can deal with high volumes at pace: “We now win one in every two opportunities, which is world class.”
Do the right things in the right way and the results take care of themselves.”
Q&A
What makes you a great entrepreneur?
I’m curious. Personal curiosity drives personal learning and you’re either wired that way or not. I tend to hire curious people too. Great leaders know they’re not the only ones with big ideas.
What drives you?
In the beginning, you are just trying to pay the bills. Over time, the drivers change. I want to make a difference in people’s lives, be they staff or customers. Today, it’s about being successful and money is just a way of keeping score.
How have you created an award-winning place to work?
We have been systematically making improvements for the last seven years. We aren’t some AI company. We have people out in vans doing asbestos surveys, so we have to work twice as hard to make this a great place to work. We make their life easy, with the right tools and tech.
What are the biggest challenges faced by midmarket companies?
The biggest one is people: how to recruit, retain, organise and equip with leadership capability. When you are adding £3m of turnover ever year, the processes and structures that worked before won’t work now. You have to keep adapting all the time.
