Mark Pownall has more than three decades of media experience, predominantly in business media in Perth, with a foray to the financial centre of London in the mid 1990s.
Mr Pownall has a vast body of work available through the archives of Business News, including news articles and features on many subjects. He has written a regular column for Business News since he joined as Editor in 2000 and has also been a key part of the Mark My Words podcast duo with Mark Beyer since 2014. On stage, Mr Pownall has interviewed many of the state's business leaders.
For most of his time at Business News, Mr Pownall ran the content operations of the business and was integral to the implementation of all the company’s digital products – the twice daily email newsletters, weekly podcasts, deals database and the Data & Insights subscriber database and search engine.
In early 2017 he became CEO of Business News, a role he had for three years before transitioning to his last executive position as Director of Strategy & Innovation, where he was responsible for digital transformation and new product development, including the rollout of a new subscriber-only remuneration platform. He is now back on the tools as a working journalist.
Mr Pownall's media career started with sports reporting while he studied for a Commerce degree at the University of Western Australia. He followed that with a post-graduate qualification in English at Curtin University.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss FMG’s new leadership, the iron ore market, Craig Mostyn’s acquisition, WA's boom/bust economy, Fiona Wood, Rod Jones and the state’s wealth creators.
In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss shipbuilding, Landcorp/MRA merger, Margaret River Gourmet Escape, AHG, Sirona Capital and WA dynasties.
In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss Brownes acquisition and Chinese investment, Richard Goyder, Shell exits Woodside, Stockland’s land purchase spree, domgas deal, waste to energy, and CEO remuneration.
In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss stock market hits highs, renewables privatisation, Perth Stadium, Historic Heart, Perth Festival, and junior miners.
In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss business failures, Hancock's $1 billion profit, UWA's $450 million deal, Pilbara mine camp merger, taxi levy, and commercial constr
In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall, Matt Mckenzie and Tori Wilson discuss house prices, Tianqi, the sale of Henderson-based Silver Yacht, the latest in the Perth lord mayor saga, recent women in business awards, and health care.
Manny Papadoulis headed one of the biggest tourist operations in the state until a crisis half a world away drove it under; it was a roller coaster ride, but he remains passionate about the sector.
In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss housing affordability, privatisation and infrastructure, mining projects, distilleries, Black Monday anniversary and our special report on ICT looking at cloud computing, big data and internet of things.
OPINION: It has been three decades since I lost my first job, almost before I had started it, as the implications of the Black Monday stock market crash became clear to my employer.
In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss property and construction, wave power, gold tax, WA's big dealmakers, and the latest Perth deal trends - edtech and Japanese investment.
In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss Perth house prices, CBD developments, charity funding and Lotterywest, Perth Stadium and the gold sector.
In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss Nev Power leaving FMG, safe harbour legislation, women on WA boards, stamp duty setback and labour markets.
Tertiary education may not have sat comfortably with Justin Miller, but his connections to Curtin University have played an important role in the development of his Sensear and Nuheara businesses.
In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss the state budget, contractor collapses, Lisa Scaffidi, advertising industry, ageing population and corporate wellness.
In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss WA entrepreneurs, manufacturing merger, recycling deal, retail property, the sports stadium and the fashion industry.
OPINION: Held hostage by an inequitable GST allocation system, WA risks losing its national place in the sport of rugby where the financial field is far from level.
Valerie Davies has a background in media and communications, but her public role today is as a board member of Cedar Woods, Event Hospitality & Entertainment, HBF and the WA Tourism Commission, as well as running her own consultancy.
In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss mining recovery, Ikea, Margaret River planning, Historic Heart project and retail property developments.
One of the state’s most experienced financial services leaders, John Van Der Wielen says the opportunity to put something back into the community was one factor motivating his move to HBF.