Mark Smith

I'm responsible for the firm's technology direction: setting the strategy, making sure technology investment delivers measurable value, keeping our systems and data secure, and making sure our platforms can support the group as new firms join.

I've spent more than 25 years in IT leadership, across retail, logistics, payments, legal, engineering and manufacturing. A lot of that time has been in private equity and venture-backed businesses, where technology decisions need to tie directly to business outcomes - there's no room for tech for tech's sake.

My focus is making technology simpler and more secure, whether that's due diligence and integration work for mergers and acquisitions, or helping teams get more from their finance, ERP and practice management systems. I led the team that built the UK's first AI-powered virtual legal assistant, and I'm curious about what practical AI can do for businesses like Fortus, and our clients, while separating what is useful from what is noise.

I like taking something complicated - a tangled systems landscape, a tricky board decision - and turning it into a plan people can actually act on.

Outside of work, you'll usually find me on the golf course with my ten-year-old son, both of us still working on our swing (when I'm not taxi-ing him around that is!)