Mark Enzer

What does Mark do at Mott MacDonald?

Mark is a keen champion of outcomes-focused systems-thinking in the built environment.

With nearly 40 years’ experience, he is well-known for this big-picture thinking – concepts that have helped to shape the infrastructure landscape in the UK and beyond.

In his current role, he provides strategy-level advice to our key clients on digital transformation, connected digital twins and broader industry transformation. In addition, he continues to advance data and digital transformation and systems thinking via teaching at university and speaking at industry events in the UK and wider.

What’s his career journey?

Mark joined Mott MacDonald straight after university, and his formative years were spent as a process engineer in our Water Division. Even early on, he was drawn to the bigger picture, recognising that treatment works always sit within the broader context of networks and catchments.

This wider perspective has shaped his career path – he was part of the team that helped establish our design and build contractor Mott MacDonald Bentley, and from there, following an Mott MacDonald-sponsored MBA, he was seconded to Anglian Water where he helped introduce some exciting initiatives, including carbon reduction, modern methods of construction and Building Information Modelling (BIM), which were all highly innovative back in the noughties.

The next step in his career was leading the Infrastructure Carbon Review for HM Treasury. This has become a seminal report, kicking off the drive to reduce carbon emissions across our industry.

After serving as Mott MacDonald’s global water sector leader and as our first Chief Technical Officer, Mark was seconded to the University of Cambridge, where he was the Director of the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) and the Head of the National Digital Twin programme.

How does he contribute to Mott MacDonald making a difference to people and planet?

Mark’s whole motivation is driven by improving outcomes for people and nature. And he sees that the best way he can pursue this is to advance systems thinking in the built environment and to drive positive systems change.

As part of this, he particularly champions: collaborative delivery models, data and digital transformation, connected digital twins, data sharing infrastructure, low-carbon sustainable solutions and the circular economy in the built environment – all of which can clearly have a huge positive impact on our planet and its people.

Does he have a mantra to live by?

Colossians 3:17

Describe his role on a landmark project 

Mark was the initial Head of the National Digital Twin programme (NDTp), which was launched by HM Treasury in July 2018 in response to recommendations from the National Infrastructure Commission. The ambitious goal was to improve environmental, social and economic outcomes by enabling an ecosystem of connected digital twins across the built environment.

Mark was appointed as the high-profile national champion for the programme and he chaired the task group that brought together key figures from across industry, government and academia to oversee the programme. He led this internationally important programme and provided visionary boundary-spanning leadership to create, inspire and guide the collaborative multi-disciplinary team of many organisations across the industry. 

With Mark’s leadership, the NDTp made strong progress, as reported by Innovate UK. United by the vision of using data for the public good, the team has shown the potential of digital twins to improve the built environment. The work that was done will help to accelerate the adoption of connected digital twins in the UK and other countries around the world.