It was a great pleasure for us to learn about the life and career of one of our new members Mark Wood, who despite only joining our Club a short time ago had some 10 years in the Rotary Club of Wellington and has continued to attend Rotary while he has worked in consultancy management work in Thailand.
Mark gave us an excellent insight into life in Thailand with its important cultural values and respect for customs, religion and the monarchy. Mark has had an extensive working career, 18 years as a director and general manager in advertising agencies in New Zealand, and in banking and marketing management in New Zealand. He has subsequently spent 28 years working as a self- employed strategy and marketing consultant.
He has worked in Thailand for 11 years and intends to return there when overseas travel allows. He has given very considerable service to others, particularly teaching English as a second language in Thailand, building up personal respect for his commitment to understanding of local cultures and spiritualism and sharing in the lives and helping others around him.
Mark also outlined his commitment to Rotary projects, working with fellow members of the Rotary Club of Wellington some years ago to travel to the Pacific to work on a school re-roofing project in Tonga in 2001 and constructing Rotary Rotahomes in Fiji in 2003. He said this was a great personal experience to learn and work alongside builders and other trades people helping in the recovery of local communities devastated by hurricanes. Mark said that both New Zealand and Australian Rotary Clubs have earned a great deal of kudos for the many humanitarian projects that continue to play out in the Pacific Islands.