Mark Weston, SS4B Ambassador Inspires and Motivates at Suffolk New College

News and Stories by Nino Severino

The month of April has been a very exciting period for our SS4B programme delivery, the highlight being a presentation to the sport science students at the Suffolk New College by Mark Weston, Global Head of Sales Capabilities at Davines, a hair product company.

Mark has been a highly valued SS4B Ambassador for over a year and has provided a large amount of time, offering presentations and support to our SS4B student athletes.

Mark is a senior member of the global company Davines, which is a renowned Italian haircare brand established in 1983 in Parma by Gianni and Silvana Bollati. The company has a significant presence in the UK, offering a range of premium, sustainable hair products.

At the heart of Davines' philosophy is "sustainable beauty", which emphasises environmental responsibility and ethical sourcing. The company operates a carbon-neutral facility in Parma, Italy, using renewable energy sources and recyclable packaging. Since 2018, all Davines products and packaging have been carbon neutral, and over 60% of their ingredients are natural or organically certified.

Davines collaborates with Slow Food Presidia farms in Italy to source high-quality ingredients that support biodiversity and local communities. Additionally, the brand is a Certified B Corporation and part of 1% for the Planet, reflecting its commitment to social and environmental performance.

The students all benefited from Mark’s life story, which is unique, inspiring and motivational. It has a deep connection with sport and how his experience was a pivotal point in his career trajectory. This links in perfectly with our SS4B programme and its objectives.

The SS4B Programme has many objectives, all delivered by very experienced team members. We want our SS4B student athletes to know that their time in sport is not only about learning how to become technically and tactically skilful at their sport but also to be connected with the virtues and skills that being a competitive athlete will provide them with. The SS4B team and ambassadors like Mark Weston want to be an added value to their existing sporting culture and environment, adding more highly skilled, qualified and experienced individuals to their lives.

As well as events such as Mark Weston’s presentation, the SS4B Programme will offer our SS4B student athletes a substantial educational opportunity. There are 12 initial modules which will be studied over the first year, covering very valuable components that will

Sports Skills for Business is an online-based framework of work & modules designed to inspire and educate students, coupled with invaluable experiences & events with our partners and ambassadors, such as the event at Suffolk New College. This programme will also offer students the chance to mix with others outside of their usual circles, possibly creating greater opportunities and offering positive exposure. We are very much looking forward to hosting virtual and face-to-face events designed to light the aspirational fire inside the students and help them to embrace and see the world of opportunities that lies ahead.

At SS4B we know and appreciate just how busy students are right now catching up on lost time through the Covid pandemic. We are keen to ensure that the role of SS4B acts as added value to a student’s life, providing them with inspiration, motivation, opportunities and confidence. We don’t want to burden them with a set amount of work, set hours needed or coursework that will weigh them down. Our aim is to create quite the opposite: the skills, virtues and experiences through the SS4B programme, and the additional team members that will be added to the student’s environment can only be positive. These areas of value and personal skills will add to their ability to deal with education and life stresses; it will also add to their workload management, offering an approach of efficiency and economy in terms of general life management. The SS4B programme is totally focused on enhancement and quality of life for the athlete student, not adding stresses or strains.

As they progress through the course, we believe they will realise the abundance of opportunities & choices that lie ahead of them that will create a sense of freedom, allowing them to truly express themselves. At SS4B we are keen to ensure that students are aware they have no pressure and no expectations to complete any of the online modules, watch any of the content, or attend any events; all of this is optional. The modules are pure added value, knowledge and expertise offered to support them, inspire them and show them some of the possibilities beyond education. This programme, coupled with their skills and passion for sport, can call upon their determination, creativity and endeavour to prepare them for future opportunities after education.

If the students choose to complete the workbooks, which are all multiple choice, they will be able to then self-mark and submit scores and would be awarded a certificate and citations per module.

Our members will all be invited to and have access to our first virtual SS4B event experience, an exclusive interview with Graham Dove from the world of sporting finance and wealth management. Graham will tell his story, his time as a semi-professional football player, which led him to an opportunity to enter the world of finance. Graham now manages the money of some of the biggest names in British football. During the interview, he reveals what it is like to have his job and the amazing experiences this job role presents to him each and every day.

I would like to thank Mark Weston for his incredible commitment to The Elena Baltacha Foundation through the SS4B programme. He is an exceptional human being, and we are very fortunate to benefit from his inspirational and motivational presentations.