Testimonials

During my time at Fishtank, I had the opportunity to work with Mark when he was Support Manager. He built the support department from scratch and turned it into a highly effective, well-organized team. The systems and processes he put in place made a real difference in how smoothly we worked and in the quality of service our clients received. Mark stands out for his ability to streamline workflows and introduce improvements that boost efficiency without losing focus on people and customer experience. He is also at his best in fast-moving, ever-changing environments, where he can balance multiple complex priorities with ease and keep everything on track. What I appreciated most was his leadership style. Approachable, supportive, and empowering. He set clear expectations but also gave us the trust and space to take ownership of our work, which made being part of his team motivating and rewarding. I highly recommend Mark for any Support Manager role. He combines operational excellence with strong leadership, and any team would benefit from his guidance.

Miroslava Vikhrenko — Software Developer

August 30, 2025 · Reported directly to Mark

I am pleased to provide a recommendation for Mark, with whom I had the privilege of working closely. Mark's ability to bring fresh perspectives to the table was truly invaluable during our time working together. He consistently advocated for his team, showing a deep commitment to their growth and success. Mark's dedication to driving our mission forward was evident in his every action. He embraced challenges with enthusiasm and was always eager to take on new tasks, showcasing his willingness to expand his knowledge for the betterment of his direct reports and fellow leaders on the team. Mark's proactive attitude and commitment to continuous improvement make him a standout professional. His willingness to tackle challenges head-on, coupled with his collaborative approach, greatly contributed to our team's success. I am confident that Mark's passion for growth and his ability to drive positive change will continue to make a significant impact in any role he takes on.

Braden Kraft — Customer Experience Manager @ Digits (Ex-Shopify)

August 17, 2023 · Worked with Mark on the same team

Mark is an amazing teammate and leader -- any company seeking a customer success or operational leader would be lucky to have him join! We worked together at Shopify on multiple incidents as cross-functional partners. Mark juggled numerous fast-moving incidents with many stakeholders and multiple degrees of complexity - and did it all with grace and warmth towards his team. He was always thoughtful and prioritized customer needs as his north star - and would be a huge asset to any organization seeking talented, customer-obsessed leadership!

Candice So — Communications at Gusto

July 11, 2023 · Worked with Mark cross-functionally at Shopify

I’ve worked cross-functionally with Mark at Shopify on multiple incidents and operations during our time at Shopify. Mark is exceptionally talented at thinking on his feet, collaboratively devising tactics and communicating cross functionally internally and externally in extreme pressure environments and incidents. I strongly endorse him for any potential employer and would love to work with him again one day.

Hesham Kahil — Manager, Workforce Management @ lululemon (Shopify Alumni)

July 11, 2023 · Senior to Mark, not direct manager

Mark is an absolutely amazing leader that any company would be lucky to have! For the past 1.5 years Mark built our team from the ground up, with various different types of talent, personalities, etc, and was extremely adaptable with his management style to cater to the individual. The team today is incredibly tight-knit, hard working, and just a joy to be around, thanks in large part to the work and effort Mark put in. He is an incredibly caring individual, wants you to succeed and move on to wherever/whatever your dream position within the company is, and wants to do everything in his power to make sure you get there. He is also really great at delivering learning opportunities in a way that makes you want to learn, and grow from your mistakes. I cannot recommend Mark enough for your company, I would confidently rank him top of my top three managers/leads I have had in my 20+ years working.

David Deacon — Customer Service / IT / Technical Support / Sales

June 15, 2023 · Reported directly to Mark

I worked with Mark both on Incident Response team and cross functionally when he was elsewhere in support. Mark is a true team player who brings a high level of care and integrity, which is evident in his work. Mark consistently went above and beyond which lead to him being recommended to join the Incident Response team at Shopify. He has a strong understanding and experience in leading effective teams. Most importantly, Mark has a positive effect on team and company culture.

Josh Lutz — Lead, Pricing Analysis @ Shopify

June 7, 2023 · Worked with Mark on the same team

I mentored Mark in his early days at Shopify, and I was thoroughly impressed by his ability to grasp complicated subjects, then communicate them to our merchants in a clear, easy-to-understand way. He brought a lot of positivity to the role, and excelled in training. I was always happy to catch up with him as his career advanced over the years. Mark would be a great addition to anyone's team!

Scott Branscombe — Onboarding Specialist @ Jobber (Shopify Alumni)

May 18, 2023 · Senior to Mark, not direct manager

Mark is an incredibly kind and helpful person who I had the pleasure of working with for over a year in Incident Response. He was a fantastic mentor to me throughout my time working with him. He embodied leading without a title. He is an exemplary incident coordinator, project manager, and communicator, and I could not recommend him more highly as an individual contributor or manager.

Simon Horsfield — Senior Resiliency Incident Response Specialist

May 12, 2023 · Worked with Mark on the same team

Mark brings focus, thoughtfulness and joy to everything he does. When I started at Shopify he was always willing to answer questions and help his team. He really cares about customer experiences, and I subsequently worked with him on several projects. You can count on him to take responsibility, listen, brainstorm and innovate. I'd work with Mark again anytime.

Daniel Heidt — VP, Information and Project Services

May 8, 2023 · Senior to Mark, not direct manager

Mark is all around a great person to have on your team. Mark reported to me as a Specialist and later as an Expert in Incident Response at Shopify. Not only was Mark a consistent high performer but he showed up every day with a positive attitude which was infectious to the rest of our team. Any company would be lucky to have Mark and I cannot recommend him enough.

Addie Van Rijn — Director of Operations, Hermana Agency

May 7, 2023 · Managed Mark directly

Mark is a phenomenal person with a keen mind from problem solving and solution mapping. He is also an amazing lead, able to build a team of others into better versions of themselves. Marks progression at Shopify made perfect sense to those that knew him... from support, to escalated support in situations that required a cool head and quick action, to leading others and teaching his skills. In addition, Mark was quick to participate in and build out the ERG space for Enable at Shopify through being a source of information in our beginning days, to an active member of building our community, to facilitation and sharing his own personal journey to our group. He is a true ally and community builder as well, and he makes all those that meet him better through his understanding, skill and passion to create the best spaces he can. Any team, let alone company, would be made better by having Mark as part of them.

Allison Creamer — Paladin Airport Security Services (Ex-Shopify)

May 7, 2023 · Worked with Mark on the same team

I worked with Mark in the Incident Response team in Shopify and every day he showed his capabilities, communication skills and resilience. Before finishing onboarding for the role, Mark was skillfully managing multiple technical, engineering and platform incidents across Canada with a cool head which led to the best outcomes. He managed stakeholders, experts and merchants with empathy and efficiency and was recognized for his expertise through his promotion to Expert. I worked with many projects with Mark and was always impressed by his ideas, organization and management. I recommend him unreservedly and any business would be very lucky to employ Mark.

Saorla Ó Corráin — Project Manager / Team Lead / Communications Expert

May 7, 2023 · Worked with Mark on the same team

I first met Mark several years ago during his tenure as an Senior Incident Response Specialist at Shopify. What immediately struck me was how collected, analytical and compassionate he was, which is all the more impressive considering the urgent and challenging nature of the work. Mark was an absolute dream to work with; responsible, trustworthy, detail-oriented and communicative. When he joined my team as a Support Lead for Merchant Taxes, I was absolutely overjoyed at the opportunity to work more closely together. Mark is a natural leader who brings out the best in people and cares deeply about those around him. He's adaptable, astute and an amazing problem solver. If you have the chance to work with Mark or hire him, do not hesitate.

Deborah Isaac — Support Expert, Money Support Operations @ Shopify

May 6, 2023 · Worked with Mark on the same team

I’m so grateful to be able to work in Mark’s team during the past 1.5 year. He built a tight knit team with various talents from scratch and is able to bring each one’s potential to the maximum. His creativity, energy and hard work made sure that each individual in his team is well supported in a tailored way. Any company bringing him onboard will be lucky to have him. I wish him all the best in his future endeavours!

Michelle Liu — ML Data Management @ Shopify

May 5, 2023 · Reported directly to Mark

Mark is a funny, smart, caring leader, who builds a team based on trust and transparency. His focus on clear expectation-setting while he reported to me brought the team to a new level, and he managed to do it while maintaining and building high performers out of new and sometimes struggling reports. Mark has an eye for inclusion and belonging and is a strong asynchronous communicator. He is an asset to any remote-focused support team and I recommend him without reservation.

Dan Beaudoin — Support Leader / CX Consultant

May 5, 2023 · Managed Mark directly

Mark is one of the types of people you dream of having as your lead. … I genuinely didn’t know if I wanted to stay with Shopify but having Mark as my lead convinced me to do so, and he inspired me to continue growing and levelling myself up. He was never afraid to give me feedback or tell me when to check myself but he also helped to give me better perspective with certain areas and encouraged (what is now) my new-found love of data analytics. He was also incredibly supportive after I had a physical setback early 2022. … Any company would be incredibly lucky to call Mark their employee and one of their leads. He encourages so much growth in his team and manages to bring different people together and work as their best selves in a team. He is your secret weapon and will help his reports not only become their best selves, but will also show customers what your company really is, what it means, and that YOUR business is the one to work for.

Emilee Kearse — Customer Support & Administrative Specialist

May 5, 2023 · Reported directly to Mark

Working with Mark is always a pleasure. He is insightful, considerate, and creative. If you have a problem to solve, you want Mark in the room. I watched Mark grow in several areas of work during his time at Shopify, but most notably was watching him venture into leadership — which felt like a natural progression for Mark, given his care and passion for people. You can’t go wrong hiring Mark — he’s a wonderful addition to any team!

Jocelyn Reid — Compliance Specialist @ Shopify

May 4, 2023 · Worked with Mark on the same team

Mark is an amazing colleague. He combines critical thinking with an attitude of compassion and is able to analyze and think quickly on critical situations. He goes above and beyond to ensure that those around him are supported. It's been an absolute pleasure working with you over the years Mark.

Jennifer Thornton — Shopify Colleague

May 4, 2023 · Worked with Mark on different teams