Mark Brennan
Meet our team
Mark Brennan, Account Officer, St. John’s, N.L.
Music has been part of Mark Brennan’s life for as long as he can remember. In high school, he played with the school band and sang with the choir. In 2011, they travelled to Rome and sang at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, playing six metres away from Pope Benedict XVI at the weekly Papal audience.
Today, Mark is part of the local music scene in St. John’s (when he’s not helping ACOA clients). He plays lead trombone in Jazz East, an 18-piece big-band jazz group, and with Cabot Power, an 11-piece funk group. One of the best parts of being in a band, says Mark, is the band itself. “The coolest aspect of playing in these groups is using the interpersonal and teamwork skills I have developed through my work at ACOA. It is totally transferable to playing trombone with these groups, and vice versa.”
Mark graduated from Memorial University’s (MUN) co-operative commerce program, during which time he completed two work terms with ACOA. He joined the Agency full-time after he graduated. “I immediately felt like I fit right back in with the ACOA family.”
As a payments and compliance officer, Mark is on the front line in the delivery of funding. “I see clients prosper from the opportunities we provide them.”
Mark recently completed a work assignment with the Commercial Programs group. In that role, he helped the Newfoundland and Labrador team enhance digital adoption in growth-oriented firms in Atlantic Canada by implementing quick-impact projects to bring them along in their digital transformation journey. “I interacted and met with clients in all of ACOA’s key sectors, all while helping streamline core funding delivery to clients,” says Mark, who is completing his Master's of Employment Relations at MUN.
He points out that the support ACOA provides companies – financial and otherwise – goes beyond helping any one organization. “We contribute greatly to the economic development of the region. This is the bigger picture, and we see it clearly.”