During the course of a 40 year career Mark Gallagher has held senior roles in the high performance environment of Formula 1 motor racing. Today he is an author, broadcaster and industry analyst who continues to work with drivers and teams at the forefront of this global sport. He is also a renowned public speaker and since 1998 has provided keynote presentations and insights to organisations world wide.
Mark’s executive management career in Formula 1 included more than a decade on the management board of the successful Jordan Grand Prix team, running the world famous Cosworth engine business and helping establish the commercial arm of Red Bull Racing.
Mark has been a member of the technical working groups within the sport’s governing body, the FIA, tasked with tackling challenges including environmental sustainability and safety, the latter being central to the sport’s regulatory environment. He spent two years working on the energy efficiency regulations adopted by Formula 1 in 2014.
His expertise covers the commercial and operational management of Formula 1 teams, and includes the sport’s regulatory, business and technology landscape. Since 1994 he has introduced some of the world’s leading technology companies to the sport, playing a key role in the digital transformation of Formula 1.
Mark’s career in Formula One commenced in 1983, working in media and communications before joining the start-up Jordan Grand Prix team in 1990. Mark joined the management board of Jordan in 1998, the team challenging for the World Championship in 1999.
In 2004 he was invited to join the Jaguar Racing organisation as it transitioned into becoming Red Bull Racing. In 2010 Mark was appointed head of the world-famous Cosworth Formula 1 engine company, supplying one-third of the teams in Formula 1 with engines and associated technologies.
Beyond Formula 1 Mark was the co-founder and owner of Status Grand Prix, competing in lower formulae and international sports cars racing.
Since 2012 Mark has focused on his Formula 1 consulting business, Performance Insights, working with a range of clients including drivers, teams and commercial partners.
He is a columnist, features writer and podcaster for GP Racing Magazine and Autosport, part of the New York-based media company, Motorsport Network.
He has written four books, Grand Prix - The Last 25 Years (WH Smith, 1999) and two editions of The Business of Winning (Kogan Page, 2014) with a fully revised, 2nd edition published in October 2021. His fourth book The Future Business Formula, co-authored with business coach Adrian Stalham, was published in May 2023. Mark also collaborated with David Coulthard on his Sunday Times Best Seller The Winning Formula (Blink Publishing, 2018). Between 2005 and 2010 Mark was a consultant to Pixar on its CARS and CARS 2 movies.
Talking Points
Mindset & High Performance
Working with Formula 1 World Champions and Championship-winning Teams in an industry where 0.001 of a second is the difference between winning and losing, their defining qualities are an extraordinary work ethic combined with relentless focus on continuous improvement until their reach their goal. It’s all about focusing on a trajectory that gets you to the top.Mindset & High Performance
The high ambition, the goal is clear – to be the best in the world – and they set out to differentiate themselves from the competition by going further, pushing the limits of what’s possible by interrogating available data, embracing the risk in a controlled manner so they can unlock next-level performance. There is an exceptionally high degree of focus because, in a world like Formula 1, there are too many potential distractions. It’s a question of prioritising what helps you take the next step forward and avoiding anything that wastes time and energy.
From a team perspective this means ensuring everyone is aligned behind the strategy, understands the goal and leans in to helping the organization achieve it. F1 World Champions are exceptionally good at inspiring their teams, inviting everyone to speak up/speak out and problem solve, giving the best of themselves and being brutally transparent about issues to be overcome. It’s not an environment for the faint-hearted, which is why few reach the top and even fewer sustain that level of peak performance. One reason why the multiple World Champions are so special.
How a team culture fuels high performance
A Formula One team has to design, manufacture, develop and operate a high-performance vehicle that combines technologies from aerospace, automotive and ICT. Compliance is essential, so too ensuring that the cars are safe, reliable and high performing. Deadlines cannot be missed; the Grands Prix which comprise the FIA Formula One World Championships represent a series of non-negotiable deadlines.How a team culture fuels high performance
Teamwork is key; the top teams have 1000 staff, only 10% of whom attend the races, so the high-performance teamwork starts weeks, months and years before an event in the research & development facilities and factories where these fascinating Formula One machines are developed. Trackside, the high-performance teamwork continues, perfectly exemplified by the pit crews who can execute precision pit stops in 2 seconds.
Developing the right team behaviour and culture is a key focus for leadership teams. This means ensuring that everyone is accountable, takes responsibility and understands the importance of avoiding silo-mentality and embracing cross-functional communications.
Alignment behind the team's strategies and ambitious goals is vital, so too having the agility to flex strategy in the face of constant changes in technology and the performance of competitors.
Using big data to accelerate success
More than any other sport, Formula One has embraced a data-driven business culture, particularly as regards its near-obsession with marginal gains and continuous improvement.Using big data to accelerate success
Starting in the late 1980's teams began to develop the ability to gather, process, store and utilise information streams in order to better manage risk, optimise performance and guarantee outcomes.
Data acquisition and analytics is now a cornerstone technology, enabling drivers, trackside engineers and headquarters staff to determine precisely how the car and driver are behaving, diagnose issues, resolve problems and speed decision making. As information flows seamlessly around the globe, linking cars, team and factories, data security is essential, and robust systems ensure protection from multiple threats.
The use of simulators has transformed driver training, enabling systems to be learned, tested and developed in a virtual environment prior to real-world deployment. And with the advent of additive manufacturing, machine learning and AI across Formula One, the sport's use of Big Data to transform all aspects of its operations is set to accelerate further.
Turning risk into results
Safety is a first-order priority in Formula One and the last 25 years have seen a profound change to the way in which the sport manages risk. Between 1950 and 1994 there were over 40 driver fatalities at events; there has been one since. This has been made possible by creating clear priorities as regards safety, mandated by the sport's leadership and shared by the individual teams and race promoters.Turning risk into results
Process safety has played a key part in this transformation, whilst a data-driven approach to understanding incidents and accidents, backed up by extensive research and development, has created cars capable of withstanding high-energy impacts, and fully protecting their occupants.
The safety and risk management story goes far beyond the racing itself, the employees and contractors of the teams benefitting from best practices shared between the industry's HSE management. Furthermore, the sport's governing body, the FIA, transfers knowledge gained from motorsport into promoting road safety around the world through its Action for Road Safety Campaign, employing the United Nations Safe Systems Approach and is a founding partner of the European New Car Approval Programme (EuroNCAP) which has transformed vehicle safety.
Driving business benefits from the pace of change
Business models break, new ones develop, technology evolves, regulations are revised and customers alter buying habits.Driving business benefits from the pace of change
Every industry is witnessing change, and Formula One is no different; as a multi-billion dollar sport, it has seen unprecedented change in the last 20 years. The number of events has grown, shifting from its heartland of Europe to a truly global calendar that sees 65% of events in long-haul destinations. The media landscape is changing out of all recognition; gone are the audiences made up of families watching television together, instead, global sports are having to develop products to appeal to all ages and demographics, across multiple digital media platforms.
Not only are the sport's teams doing business in new places and in new ways, but diversification strategies are being implemented as business models evolve. The EU ban on Tobacco Advertising and Sponsorship in 2005 caused a seismic shift, so do did the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Today teams are selling technology solutions into diverse sectors including automotive, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and aerospace; a radical transformation for Formula One teams, now operating as technology providers to the industry.
Above all, Formula One's leadership teams have had to communicate, manage and implement transformation strategies, bringing their teams with them, and ensuring that they make the most from embracing change.
Other Topics
One thing has become very clear during the course of working at hundreds of business events across a wide range of industry sectors; content from Formula One can be tailored to suit any business theme or topic, primarily because Formula One itself is a business.Other Topics
Leadership topics around the building, leading and inspiring teams of people are often combined with insights into building resilience in a business, coping with adversity or the importance of celebrating successes.
Since Formula One's leaders understand the importance of empowerment, adaptive leadership skills are often discussed; providing teams with the support they need, intervening when necessary, plus mentoring and coaching the next generation of leaders.
Building client-centricity into a business's day to day operations is reflected in the way that Formula One teams have sought to provide their corporate partners with a wide range of added-value marketing solutions. In more recent years they have also had to become adept at meeting the demands of new customers, in new markets segments and geographies, while operating an increasingly diversified business model.
The same focus that goes into providing service to a Formula One driver during a 2-second pit stop can be applied to ensuring seamless customer service and winning performance.
There are over 200 brands involved in Formula One, and for the leadership teams and drivers it becomes part and partial of the day job to understand each brand's values and the way in which their owners nurture and cultivate them over time.
Formula One has helped make Ferrari arguably the most powerful automotive brand in the world and made Red Bull a household name, and powerful insights are available into how brand positioning, content creation and promotion lie at the very heart of this sports business.
The main point about themes and topics is to understand what is required of the speaker, discuss the relevant touchpoints, and to work on crafting a keynote presentation that will be entertaining, insightful and - most of all - relevant to the audience.
Video
Managing Risk at 350kph: Lessons from the Fast Lane by Mark Gallagher | COK #94
For teams competing in Formula 1, risk management comes in various forms: from ensuring the health and safety of drivers, teams and staff, to managing the commercial risks associated with one of the world’s most expensive sports. On top of that, there are the operational risks associated with transporting cars, equipment and staff to twenty destinations around the globe. With three decades of experience in the motor racing industry and having worked at the forefront of Formula 1, Mark Gallagher can provide deep insights into risk management.
