Mark Bilney

Mark has over twenty years’ experience in the management consulting sector, working globally and specialising in senior leadership development with a focus on Operational Excellence (OpEx) and Continuous Improvement. Prior to working in management consultancy, he was a senior military officer and operations leader. With a specialisation in aerospace engineering, he ran complex and large-scale operations where OpEx was essential to successful delivery of aircraft to the front line. Mark retired from the Royal Air Force in 2004.

Mark’s second career started in 2004 when he became a management consultant. Later, as a Practice Managing Director, he was part of the management team that successfully grew a boutique consultancy from £10M to more than £30M turnover. He built the Organisational Excellence Practice from scratch, developing a team of specialists in cultural change and operational leader training that designed and delivered some of the best operations manager development available globally. Mark has supported leaders at all levels – from team managers to CEOs – and built a reputation as a trusted advisor.

Mark semi-retired in 2023 and has devoted his time since to working with the CEOE in supporting the Education Sector with the introduction and development of Operational Excellence in Multi Academy Trusts. He is responsible for the design and delivery of the CEOE Operations Excellence training programme, consisting of Associate, Leader and Strategic Leader levels. This successful training programme has been delivered to a large number of MATs since 2025 and also piloted in the USA. He is the CEOE Solutions Hub SME on Operational Excellence. 

Mark is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership.

Sector Expertise

Defence | Professional Services | Telecommunications | Utilities | Financial Services | Education | Travel | Public Sector.

Example Education Sector Clients

Has worked with WHS Foundation; EMAT, Nexus MAT, Manor and EBOR MATs, and a myriad of others through OpEx training delivery.

Publications

 In 2024, he contributed to the ISBL research study A study into the applicability of Operational Excellence to education systems, which explored the opportunity for operational excellence in schools and multi-academy trusts, co-authoring the section on Cultural Change.