Business Hour

A love of golf was one of the things that brought Mark Leech to Lancashire. A long, successful and challenging career is what kept him here writes Kate Ford

His father’s job with a large US company meant that Mark Leech enjoyed a peripatetic childhood with his parents and two sisters. Born in Belgium in 1979, he spent his early years in the famous battle town of Waterloo, before moving back to the UK for several years. Returning to Belgium as a teenager, he completed the International Baccalaureate at the age of 18 and decided to head back to the UK alone in 1998 to go to university.

That sounds like a brave move. “It didn’t feel particularly brave at the time,” says Mark. “I’d always wanted to attend university in the UK, so it just made sense.”

Wider family connections drew Mark to Lancashire, but it was his interest in golf which sealed the deal. His father introduced him to the sport at a very early age and his fascination has never diminished. “The simple fact that Myerscough College ran a degree in Golf Management heightened my interest in studying there,” he says.

In the end, he opted for a degree in Leisure and Sports Management delivered first at Myerscough and then at UCLan in Preston. Living in student digs, Mark sought out part-time work and applied for a bar job at Ribby Hall Village. “The interview went so well that I went home to Preston, got changed, then went straight back to Ribby to start work!”

That first job in 1999 was in Beaumont’s Bar (now Harrison’s Bar), but Mark soon found himself also working in the bistro and with various activities, including golf, boating and bike hire. He even passed his lifeguard course, enabling him to help in the family pool of The Health Club.

Before long, his family moved again, this time to Michigan in the US. No longer going home in the university holidays, Mark threw himself into work and, by the time he graduated in 2002, he was a mainstay of The Health Club, becoming a duty manager three years later. In 2008, he was appointed general manager and was instrumental in bringing Starbucks to The Health Club in 2009. Mark became a senior manager in 2011, a role which saw a widening of his remit to include the Tea Room and The Village’s SPAR supermarket.

Then in 2018, 19 years after starting that first bar job, Mark was promoted to director of operations, with responsibility for overseeing significant swathes of the Ribby Hall Village business. Reporting directly to CEO Paul Harrison, Mark is responsible for a team of around 350 members of Ribby’s 613 staff.

“Throughout my time here, I’ve been given opportunities to develop and to share my own ideas about the business,” says Mark. “This makes you feel empowered and trusted and helps you to grow in ability as well as confidence. I really hope this continues and that I can empower others in the same way.”

“What makes this place special is that the owners continue to invest in the business, year on year, so there’s always a new challenge ahead,” says Mark. “It’s a fantastic place to work and we’re always on the lookout for talented new members to join the team.”

The first such challenge is the launch this month of a new coffee shop, Blend, based where Starbucks used to be in The Health Club. When the famous coffee brand decided to withdraw its franchise, as part of a global restructure, the senior team at Ribby saw an exciting opportunity.

“Obviously, we were sorry to see Starbucks go,” says Mark. “But, with all our expertise in operating successful food and drink outlets, we knew we could create something just as good, if not better. And that’s what we’re going to do.”

“We’re also starting work on a new family adventure golf course near our Terrazza restaurant, with a new outdoor bar on the restaurant terrace, creating a fabulous new family attraction which is set to open by June 2020.”

Like most of the operations Mark oversees, the coffee shop and golf course are local amenities, open to everyone who lives and works nearby. “It’s really important to us that people in the area know our facilities are available for them to use and enjoy,” he says.

Mark has a son and two stepdaughters with his partner Claire, and they live in Kirkham. Away from work, he enjoys family time and playing golf at St Annes Old Links. He helps to organise charity golf days with friends and colleagues from Ribby, to raise funds for the Pear Tree Holiday Club, a school holiday playscheme linked to Pear Tree School in Kirkham. The club provides inclusive childcare for children with learning difficulties and special educational needs, alongside mainstream children from the local community. 

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