Mark Willford
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Mark Willford is Arabella’s interim CEO, appointed in July 2023 to lead the firm as it conducts a nationwide search for its next permanent top executive. Mark is a seasoned business executive with a more than 30-year track record of building entrepreneurial, inclusive, and high-impact consulting practices across a broad spectrum of clients.
Mark has decades of experience leading, organizing, and scaling professional services businesses. He previously worked at Accenture as a senior managing director. There he served an array of clients and helped lead the firm’s business operations with an approach built on high-growth, complex problem-solving.
Mark’s approach includes a focus on collaboration and on cultivating strong, authentic team cultures. In his past roles, Mark built a large, diverse team fueled by personal and professional growth opportunities for each individual, motivating high performance and customer service excellence. His expertise also includes developing specific processes for assessing investments in systems and technologies to ensure these resources effectively advance key business objectives.
Mark has previously advised Justice Informed, a social impact and DEI consulting company, where he helped the company’s CEO and founder shape an exciting scale and growth agenda. Additionally, while at Accenture, Mark had the honor and responsibility to drive a number of initiatives designed to create a highly inclusive work environment that celebrated individuality and allowed all people to thrive in their personal and professional development.
Mark holds a BS in industrial engineering from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and resides in Chicago with his wife and four boys.