Mark Lawrence is Head of People Analytics, Consulting & Insights at Philip Morris International (PMI); and an independent, Strategic HR and People Analytics Consultant.

An HR leader with almost 25 years’ experience, Mark has operated across Consulting, Tech, Retail/CPG and Pharmaceutical sectors, including at organisations such as PwC, IBM, GSK and Diageo. He is adept at identifying opportunities to leverage data and analytics in support of high-value organisational outcomes, focusing particularly on organisational change and transformation. His skill lies in drawing insights from organisational data and connecting HR Processes to Corporate Strategy. Recognised for strategic thinking, Mark aims to bring pragmatic applications and thrives when solving problems and building capabilities.

Mark was a founder member of the CIPD’s HR Analytics Advisory Group (2015); and works as an Associate Instructor for several educational organisations. He co-founded an advisory service, Data Driven HR Ltd, in the UK in 2017. Mark’s work is featured in multiple publications including HRMJ (the Human Resource Management Journal); two practitioner-focused books on People Analytics; and several mainstream media sources.

Marks holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of East Anglia (UK), an MBA from the University of Leeds Business School (UK); and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce.

What drives you? Why do you love your job?

I have always been driven by curiosity: the thrill of discovery! Stories of Scott and Amundsen (even Indiana Jones!) led me to become an archaeologist originally. However, when I entered the corporate world, I found endless questions to answer. Questions relating to people: problems we still strive to understand, in order to make their world better… And it ends with a decision – a tangible and direct action that we can take (or help others to take), to realise that better future. This is where I find reward. Data (sometimes encoded as stories and experience) is the currency we use: it’s how we learn what’s normal and, from which, distinguish what’s abnormal; it’s how we experiment and confirm our ideas; and it’s how we inform the decision with evidence and feel reassured to act. Without colleagues and a whiteboard, I am lonely; without data, we’re really just making it up!

Philip Morris International (PMI) is one of the world’s leading tobacco companies, with a global workforce of 79,800. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut and listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: PM), at PMI, we are building our future on replacing cigarettes with smoke-free products that—while not risk-free—are a better alternative than cigarette smoking. PMI’s current product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heated tobacco, e-vapor, and oral smokeless products. In 2022, almost 35 percent of PMI’s total net revenues came from our smoke-free products. By 2030, PMI’s ambition is to increase that figure to over two-thirds, with the ultimate goal of phasing out cigarettes completely. Leveraging our scientific expertise and technological capabilities, we are also committed to developing new products in the wellness and healthcare space.