Mark Cowan

Mark Cowan says it wasn’t only what he learned at Glasgow Caledonian University, but the lifelong connections he made, that ultimately led him to his dream career with one of the country’s most historic and innovative companies.

Mark is the HR Director for Scottish Leather Group, the UK’s largest leather manufacturer famous for supplying the world’s lowest carbon, sustainable leather to renowned global brands including Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover, British Airways and more.

The proud Glasgow Caledonian alumni said the journey to the senior leadership role started with a simple choice to pursue his passions for people, innovation and business by completing a postgraduate diploma at the University.

“After completing a degree in Marketing, I took a break from study and spent a year travelling abroad,” he said.

“On my return, I decided to continue my studies and began a postgraduate degree in Human Resource Management at GCU.

“It was certainly a challenge balancing studies with a 30-hour  week job, but looking back, I can confidently say that studying at GCU was the best decision I’ve made for my career.”

Like many Glasgow Caledonian alumni, Mark says the relationships he built within the tight-knit University network have helped lead to a number of job opportunities.

He was approached by a fellow student who was undertaking the part-time course and was asked if he would be interested in working in her team at a training company.

“I successfully applied for the role and worked there for three years after graduating in 2003,” Mark says.

“However, I always had my heart set on working in human resources.”

One day Mark received a pivotal phone call from a Glasgow Caledonian guest lecturer who worked in recruitment, offering him a senior HR advisor role at Oran Environmental Solutions, where he quickly became HR Manager.

Mark’s next step came when he was headhunted by Renewi PLC, where he honed his expertise working across the UK and Europe, including the Netherlands, for over a decade.

Today, Mark is proud to play an important role in supporting over 700 employees across Scotland and around the world as Scottish Leather Group’s HR Director.

He’s as passionate about HR as ever and says “putting people at the heart of everything you do” is the key to success.

Looking ahead, Mark's vision includes continuing to nurture talent to help people reach their future career goals, at Scottish Leather Group and beyond.

Two decades after graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University, Mark remains proud to be a GCU alumni and we couldn’t be prouder to see where his career has taken him so far.