Celebrating our Advisory Board - Mark Timbs

We're thrilled to continue our Advisory Board Spotlight Series with Mark Timbs, whose exceptional track record in technology transformation and operational excellence brings invaluable expertise to organisations navigating complex digital change whilst maintaining operational resilience.

Mark brings over 20 years of experience leading technology strategy and delivery across global, multi-billion revenue organisations. His proven ability to deliver transformational outcomes—including turning around underperforming IT functions and executing complex carve-outs—makes him an invaluable advisor as we help organisations implement robust Data & Information Observability frameworks that drive both compliance and competitive advantage.

Technology Transformation with Commercial Discipline

Mark's career exemplifies pragmatic transformation that delivers measurable business impact. As Interim Chief Information Officer at Equans Urban Energy, he led a £4.1m carve-out programme, completing the entire technology separation 5 months ahead of schedule and £750k under budget. This wasn't just operational efficiency—it accelerated the company's independence from its former parent, creating immediate strategic value.

His experience at Lendlease demonstrates similar outcomes-focused leadership: achieving a 50% reduction in both IT roles and business applications whilst maintaining service excellence, and creating strategic partnerships with Google, Accenture and Optus that delivered a 30% reduction in IT operating costs—all with zero capital investment from Lendlease.

Strategic Leadership Beyond Technology

Mark's expertise extends beyond pure technology delivery. As Trustee Director of the Lendlease UK Pension Scheme, he turned a £120m deficit into a £10m surplus over 4 years, managing over £1bn in assets across multiple asset classes. This financial stewardship experience provides crucial insights into how data leaders must balance innovation investment with fiduciary responsibility.

His role as Pilotlight Charity Advisor to First Stop Darlington—working with the CEO to redevelop strategy and deliver a secure future through challenging economic conditions—demonstrates his ability to create sustainable value in resource-constrained environments.

Operational Excellence in Complex Environments

"Technology transformation succeeds when you focus relentlessly on business outcomes rather than technical complexity," shares Mark. "The organisations that thrive are those that treat technology as an enabler of strategic outcomes, not an end in itself. Observability provides the visibility leaders need to ensure their technology investments deliver measurable value whilst maintaining operational resilience."

Mark's approach—combining strategic vision with operational discipline—directly influences BearingNode's methodology for helping organisations implement D/I O11y frameworks that drive both efficiency and effectiveness.

Impact on BearingNode's Implementation Approach

Daniel Rolles says:

"Mark's track record of delivering complex transformations on time and under budget has been essential in developing our implementation methodology. His expertise helps organisations move beyond theoretical frameworks to practical, sustainable change that delivers immediate value.

Mark's guidance ensures our D/I O11y implementations don't just improve visibility—they create operational excellence. His insights have helped us develop approaches that transform data governance from an overhead into a competitive advantage, enabling organisations to achieve both compliance objectives and commercial outcomes."

About Our Advisory Board Spotlight Series

The BearingNode Advisory Board Spotlight Series showcases the strategic expertise guiding our Data & Information Observability framework. Each advisor brings unique insights that directly influence our development process, ensuring our solutions address real-world challenges facing data leaders in regulated industries.

Through our D/I O11y framework, BearingNode helps organisations discover, track, comply, govern, and extract value from their data assets—transforming data from a compliance burden into a strategic advantage that enables better decision-making for humans and AI alike.

Stay tuned for more profiles in our Advisory Board Spotlight Series as we continue to celebrate the remarkable leaders who help shape the future of data-driven decision-making.

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About BearingNode

BearingNode specialises in Data & Information Observability (D/I O11y), helping organisations discover, track, comply, govern, and extract value from their data assets. Our approach transforms data from a compliance burden into a strategic advantage, enabling better decision-making for humans and AI alike.