TicketCo is proud to announce the appointment of Mark Stephenson as our new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). With extensive experience in scaling technology platforms and a deep-rooted passion for football, Mark will lead our engineering team as we accelerate innovation and expand into new markets.
Executive Summary
- New Leadership: Mark Stephenson joins TicketCo as the new Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
- Proven Expertise: Mark brings a strong track record of scaling technology companies for enterprise growth and successful acquisitions.
- Strategic Vision: His focus is on understanding customer problems to ensure technology acts as an enabler for positive outcomes for clubs and fans.
- Bridging Heritage and Innovation: Mark is committed to honouring TicketCo's Norwegian roots while driving growth in the UK and European markets.
Who is Mark Stephenson?
Mark Stephenson is a technology leader with a passion for solving complex, large-scale data challenges. His career began at Darlington Football Club, where he managed the season ticket database, sparking an early interest in the intersection of sports and technology. This experience led him to found his own web development company, building solutions like a football agent portal.
Mark later launched an event promotion and analytics business, which was acquired by a UK-based event distribution platform. He has held senior technology roles at major companies like Teradata, where he consulted for global brands such as HSBC and Sports Direct, focusing on efficient communication and AI-driven solutions. Before joining TicketCo, Mark was instrumental in scaling two tech companies, Intelligence Fusion and Clixifix through to successful acquisitions.
A UEFA-qualified coach and lifelong football enthusiast, Mark was drawn to TicketCo by the opportunity to blend his professional expertise with his personal passion for the sport. He will be working from the north of England, near Newcastle.
Why did Mark Stephenson choose TicketCo?
Though he wasn't actively looking for a new role, the opportunity at TicketCo resonated with Mark on both a technical and personal level. He was attracted by the company's clear focus on football and the challenge of scaling a platform to serve a growing number of clubs and fans.
The mission to deliver tangible value to the end user—the fan—was a key factor. He saw a perfect alignment between his interest in big data, AI, and platform efficiency and TicketCo’s strategic goals. The passionate leadership and the company's existing success in Norway, including handling Champions League matches, convinced him that TicketCo has a solid foundation for ambitious growth.
"It just felt right," Mark explains. "It was something where I could blend my interest in sport and football in particular with all of the technical side of things that I enjoy: the problem solving, the scaling problem."
What is Mark Stephenson’s vision for TicketCo's technology?
Mark’s primary goal is to ensure that technology serves as an enabler for the business and its customers, not just a solution in itself. His initial 90 days will be dedicated to deep learning, understanding the 'why' behind customer usage and the specific problems clubs face.
Key areas of his vision include:
- Customer-Centric Development: He plans to meet face-to-face with ticketing managers and club directors to understand their motivations and challenges. Technology development will be driven by solving real-world problems.
- Empowering the Team: Mark believes in building a resilient engineering department with no single point of failure. His leadership style focuses on empowering the team to ensure continuity and operational excellence.
- Accelerating Innovation: While maintaining the stability and reliability that TicketCo is known for, he aims to accelerate progress and remove barriers to delivering features that customers need.
- Building on Heritage: He intends to learn from TicketCo's first clients in Norway to understand the company's heritage and the reasons for its long-term relationships, using those lessons to drive growth in the UK and beyond.
How will this transition impact TicketCo customers?
The transition in CTO leadership is designed to be seamless for our partners. Mark is committed to ensuring that the high level of support and service our customers expect will not only continue but be enhanced.
He brings a renewed energy and a commitment to maintaining what TicketCo has always offered while accelerating progress. Rather than a shift in focus, customers should see this as a doubling-down on our commitment to providing a robust, innovative, and customer-focused ticketing platform. Mark’s priority is to build relationships across all markets, including Norway, Sweden, and the UK, to ensure our technology roadmap reflects the needs of our entire partner base.
Conclusion
Mark Stephenson's appointment as CTO represents an exciting new chapter for TicketCo. His unique blend of high-level technical expertise, proven leadership in scaling businesses, and genuine passion for football makes him the ideal person to lead our technology strategy. We are confident that under his guidance, we will continue to challenge the industry, innovate for our partners, and strengthen our position as a leading ticketing provider in Europe.
