Born in Paris, Mark studied Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE) at Oxford University. He first visited Sri Lanka in 2002 and subsequently became a regular returnee. His first book on the country, To End A Civil War: Norway’s Peace Engagement in Sri Lanka was published in 2015.

A BBC journalist by training, Mark has worked in a wide range of settings focusing on issues of democracy, conflict, reconciliation and diversity management. From 2000 to 2010 he was a senior staff member of International IDEA, an intergovernmental organization supporting democratic consolidation around the world. Since then he has been an independent consultant, focusing on the same areas of professional concern.

For the last six years Mark has mostly lived in Colombo. Until spring 2025 he was a Visiting Fellow at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES), Colombo where he researched his latest book From Independence to Aragalaya: a Modern History of Sri Lanka (forthcoming).

Top Titles

• To End A Civil War: Norway’s Peace Engagement in Sri Lanka (2015)
• From Independence to Aragalaya: a Modern History of Sri Lanka (forthcoming)