Mark Spears is an eternal optimist who believes meaningful progress results from inclusive collaborative engagement.
Having retired from The Walt Disney Company after nearly thirty years, he devotes his current efforts to promoting positive environmental and social change. In his spare time, he scours the world for emerging artisan coffee roasts and craft beer styles.
He currently serves as Founder & Chief Strategist at common+value, a sustainable business practices advisory firm focused on strategy, program design and implementation, communication and stakeholder engagement. In addition, he serves as an Advisory Board Member for Sustainable Brands co-chairing its Executive Committee, supports the social entrepreneurship program at his alma mater as an advisor and mentor and contributes as a founding member of the Los Angeles Chief Sustainability Officer Strategic Taskforce.
During his Disney career, Mark served in a number of senior business roles ranging from accounting, finance and strategic planning to corporate responsibility and sustainability. He served as Disney Consumer Products’ inaugural chief sustainability executive and led Disney’s involvement with The Sustainability Consortium as its first corporate Lead Director. Mark also directed Disney’s International Labor Standards program for 10 years addressing labor standards and human rights in the Company’s licensing and vendor supply chains and serving as the Company’s primary spokesperson.
Before joining Disney, Mark was a senior consultant and audit professional at Arthur Young & Co. in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills involved in the Firm’s media and entertainment, engineering and construction and litigation consulting practices.
Mark holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. He is also a certified public accountant and a former member of the American Arbitration Association.