Mark Laity is a widely respected expert on Strategic Communications.. He has been involved with the media, information & Strategic Communication for more than four decades, initially as a journalist, then in a variety of senior posts within NATO culminating as Director of Communications within SHAPE.
He was intimately involvement in every StratCom initiative within NATO provides a unique perspective and portfolio of experience, with a particular understanding of the practicalities of introducing change to a traditional institution. He is highly experienced at leading disparate teams in both steady state and high-stress environments, with a reputation that means he is routinely consulted by senior leaders across NATO, NATO nations and Partners.
He retired in December 2020 as Director of the Communications Division (COMDIV) at SHAPE to become Senior Director of the StratCom Academy, a start-up he co-founded to provide strategic communications education, training, and consultancy to the defence, security and humanitarian response sectors
He holds a Masters degree and Honorary Doctorate from the University of York. He is also an Associate Fellow at the King’s Centre for Strategic Communications, Kings College London, and an Honorary Fellow at the University of Exeter’s Strategy and Security Institute.