Mark Bennett
Executive Advisor
Mr. Bennett has over 30 years experience in the areas of sales, marketing, finance and executive technology management. Throughout his career he has managed or been responsible for medium to multi-million dollar technology, executive recruiting and retail businesses.
Until his retirement in 2000, Mark spent 14 years managing and selling software consulting services. In 1986 he joined Computer People Unlimited (CPU), a Milwaukee based start-up consulting services firm incorporated in 1984. As an account manager he was responsible for selling and managing technology services to a large customer base in Milwaukee and Racine. In 1992 he was asked to start a CPU branch in Madison, WI. From that point to 1996 he successfully built the largest privately owned consulting services branch in Madison. With a staff of over 150 people and sales of more than $18M, Madison was consistently one of the most profitable of CPU’s six branches.
In late 1995, CPU was sold to Compuware Corporation, a services and software company based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. In 1997 Mark was promoted to Regional V.P. with full P&L responsibility for eight service branches in seven states, with sales of nearly $160M. In this role he was also part of a Merger & Acquisition team that integrated newly acquired services firms by the company. He was also appointed to represent Compuware’s Services Division as executive liaison with the Microsoft Corporation.
Mark’s prior experiences include six years with Dunhill Personnel Inc., Milwaukee, WI and ten years with Brown Group Inc., St. Louis, Mo.
As Vice President of IT recruiting with Dunhill, he was instrumental in building a profitable contingent search business that made placements with firms throughout the Midwest.
As Director of Retail Operations for Brown Group, he was responsible for thirty better grade leased women’s shoe departments in fourteen locations for J.L. Hudson Department Stores based in Detroit, MI.
Mark received his B.A.-Marketing/Economics, from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He is still involved with the Business and MCS/IT programs.
From 1992-1996 he served on the Board of Directors of the Madison Chapter of AITP (formerly DPMA).
In retirement Mark stays active in the Madison business community. He also is involved in many community and charitable functions. He currently is chairing a capital building fund campaign that will raise more than $5M for his church.
Mark has been married for thirty-six years with three children and six grandchildren. Among other hobbies, he stays busy tending to a ten acre horse farm and being supportive of his wife’s national horse showing career.