News
The Board of Directors of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) has re-elected Mark O’Connell to its Board of Directors for a two-year term. Mr. O’Connell is the Chief Executive Officer of OCO Global. Appointments were announced at IEDC’s 2013 Annual Conference, which was held October 6 – 9 in Philadelphia, PA. “As the world’s leading organization for professionals in the field of economic development, IEDC’s work has become vital to reviving the current economic environment,” said Chair-elect Bill Sproull. “I look forward to continuing to work with Mr. O’Connell and our other Board members as IEDC carries on with its mission of providing quality information, education, and outstanding development opportunities to our steadfast members and partners.”
Mark’s industry experience includes two years at IMES UK an economic development consultancy firm where he worked as a consultant in international trade, four years with Alrumaih Corporation, a Saudi investment firm where he managed a portfolio of retail and consumer goods clients ranging from Bally Shoes to Mexx apparel. This was followed by two years with Enterprise Ireland in London, the Irish government export agency. Prior to establishing OCO Global in 2001 Mark spent the last six years of his career in the management consultancy division of Price Waterhouse Coopers. In the last decade Mark has established OCO Global, a leading boutique consultancy firm which specialises in FDI and International trade. OCO Global clients include private firms, government agencies and international organisations.
Mark is retained by a number of leading private clients to advise them on international expansion and corporate location decisions. He also has participated on the Boards of Government Agencies such as UK Trade and Investment, Invest Sweden Agency, Enterprise Ireland, Italian Trade Commission, Invest Hong Kong, Enterprise Florida and the State of California. Mark is also regularly cited as an FDI expert in leading publications such as the Economist, Wall St Journal and Financial Times.Mark is also a founder and shareholder of Loco Software who together with OCO Global developed the well-known database tools fDi Markets and fDi Benchmark before their acquisition by the Financial Times in 2008.
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 4,000 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities, by creating, retaining and expanding jobs that facilitate growth, enhance wealth and provide a stable tax base. From public to private, rural to urban, and local to international, IEDC’s members are engaged in the full range of economic development experience. Given the breadth of economic development work, our members are employed in a wide variety of settings including local, state, provincial and federal governments, public private partnerships, chambers of commerce, universities and a variety of other institutions. When we succeed, our members create high-quality jobs, develop vibrant communities, and improve the quality of life in their regions.