"But when the dawn will come, of our emancipation, from the fear of bondage and the bondage of fear, why, that is a secret."
Alan Paton
Mark Turpin
About me and my work
Mark Turpin is an Executive Coach, Mediator, Organisational Development Consultant and Lecturer based in Johannesburg with over 30 years management experience around the world. He works with a wide range of companies, NGOs and government departments, and acts as a confidential adviser to senior people in government and the private sector.
Mark lectures on programmes at the Wits Business School, focusing on leadership, knowledge management and organisational dynamics. He brings an appreciative approach to create dynamic learning scenarios, and coaches executives and senior teams on transformational journeys.
Mark facilitates a number of communities of practice, in which groups of people come together on a regular basis to create dynamic learning communities.
Mark has an MBA (Wits Business School), an MSc (London University) and is a certified leadership coach. He is also an accredited mediator with Conflict Dynamics (Johannesburg) and the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (London).
Current passions
Fascinated by the changing 'world of work', Internet of Things, Collaborative Commons - and very stimulated in particular by Jeremy Rifkin's book 'The Zero Marginal Cost Society'.
Intrigued by the need to build ethics and integrity in the workplace, and a collaborator with Ethics Monitor (www.ethicsmonitor.co.za).
Also, a student of South African politics and society.
Supporter of the International Campaign against Nuclear Weapons (www.icanw.org) and of the UN Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
I work with the MarketPhotoWorkshop to support a bursary & mentorship programme for young photographers in Johannesburg (www.marketphotoworkshop.co.za). You can here us speaking about it here:
Cry the Beloved Country
News and blogs
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03-02-2026 / Blogs / By Koen DeblondeFrom stress response to regulation: the vagus nerve in organisations
A few years ago, I started training in Somatic Experiencing®. What attracted me was not only working with trauma, but above all the question: what happens in a person when tension builds up? What causes someone to suddenly react differently than they would like to? Why do nuance and empathy disappear precisely when things get tense? What is the effect of chronic stress on the body? -
02-26-2026 / Blogs / View in DutchVia verbeelding verliefd worden op de toekomst
Mos heeft iets magisch. Vooral na een flinke regenbui - plots twee keer zo groot, groen en geurig. In het winterlandschap valt mijn oog er steeds weer op. Een van de weinige stukjes groen tussen al het winterbruin. Mos is niet alleen een van de oudste plantensoorten, maar kan ook overleven aan de buitenkant van een ruimteschip las ik laatst in de krant. Mos als tijd- en ruimtereiziger. (...) -
02-12-2026 / News / By Luc Verheijen, Saskia TjepkemaStrengthening community with Appreciative Inquiry: stories from a learning network
The new AI Practitioner is out: 'Strengthening Community with Appreciative Inquiry – Stories from a Learning Network'. The spark for the theme of this issue came from an Appreciative Inquiry Learning Network on Strengthening Community that the authors initiated and co-facilitated last year. This issue is a remarkable and rich collection of stories, demonstrating how participants have been strengthening community in their context.
Contact
Curious to learn more about Kessels & Smit?
Get in touch with Mark Turpin