Everything Mark Pollock does is about inspiring leaders and their teams to build resilience and collaborate with others so that they achieve more than they thought possible.

Unbroken by blindness in 1998, Mark became an adventure athlete competing in ultra-endurance races across deserts, mountains, and the polar ice caps, making him the first blind person to race to the South Pole. He also won silver and bronze medals for rowing at the Commonwealth Games and set up an international motivational speaking business.

In 2010, a fall from a second story window nearly killed him. Mark broke his back and the damage to his spinal cord left him paralysed. Now he is on a new expedition, this time exploring the intersection where humans and technology collide, in an effort to cure paralysis in our lifetime.

Mark was selected by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader where he served on the Global Futures Council on Human Enhancement and the Advisory Board of Cybathlon. He is on the Board of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (USA), and is a Wings for Life Ambassador (Europe). Author of ‘Making It Happen’, Mark is the subject of the acclaimed documentaries ‘Blind Man Walking’ and ‘Unbreakable – The Mark Pollock Story’.

He has been awarded honorary doctorates by The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and also from Queens University Belfast. Furthermore, he holds a diploma in Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century from Harvard University, degrees from Trinity College Dublin and UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School.

An experienced communications professional across a variety of industry sectors including energy, sport, finance, sponsorship, telecoms, education, consumer and not for profit through a blend of agency and in-house roles. Karl specialises in the following disciplines: Marketing Communications, Media Relations and PR; public affairs, brand, CSR, and corporate communications strategy development and implementation; partnership management and sponsorship negotiation; media training and acting as a spokesperson.

Karl has held the role of Head of Communications and Public Affairs with the Commission of Regulation of Utilities in Ireland since 2015. Previously he was head of Communications and Marketing with Rehab Group, and Communications and Media Manager with the Irish Rugby Football Union.