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Mark A. Pfister

CEO at M. A. Pfister Strategy Group

New York, United States

Non-Executive Director, Board Consultant, & Business Strategist
with focus in Strategy, Governance, & Technology / Cybersecurity

With a strong focus in Strategy, Governance, and Technology / Cybersecurity, Mark A. Pfister is CEO of M. A. Pfister Strategy Group, an executive advisory firm that serves as a strategic advisory council for executives and Boards in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. He is also Chairman & CEO of Integral Board Group, a specialized Board services and consulting company. Mr. Pfister is a 'Board Macro-Influencer' and his success has been repeated across a wide range of business situations and environments. He prides himself on being a coach and mentor to senior executives and directors. In Board Director circles, Mr. Pfister has earned the nickname 'The Board Architect.’

The overarching theme throughout his career has been his aptitude in leadership positions, passionate focus on people, unique governance models, and ability to create value for stakeholders through innovative business strategies and operational excellence. Michael Lorelli, Executive Chairman of Rita’s Franchise Company, has said, “Mark’s unusual combination of excelling at a macro and micro grasp of business, genuine interest in Governance, and ability to coach and mentor a Management Team make him a terrific Independent Director.”

Mr. Pfister is a certified project management professional and frequently serves as an expert Project Executive, consulting on global projects in their initiation and operational phases, as well as programs requiring remedial focus to bring them back on track. He has deep knowledge and experience in Board design & operations, strategic planning, business transformation, technology implementations, decisioning processes, continuing education programs, executive coaching, and governance models.

Previously, Mr. Pfister was CEO of Pro4ia, Inc., an international consulting and professional services company specializing in a wide range of technology solutions utilizing formal Project Management as a proven and repeatable delivery method. With a Fortune 50 client list, Pro4ia was Citibank's Nominee for Crain’s Magazine 'Entrepreneurship of the Year' Award in 2005. He simultaneously served as CEO of Onit, Inc., a national sourcing company specializing in placements for all levels of technology skill sets. Mr. Pfister was also the National Program Office Leader for American Express leading some of the largest technology transformation initiatives in the company’s history. He served as a Licensed Engineering Officer in the U.S. Merchant Marine, holds a B.S. from the State University of New York Maritime College in Facilities Engineering, and completed Harvard Business School's Executive Education Program for Board Directors.

Mr. Pfister is the creator of the ‘Board as a Service’ (BaaS) engagement model, an industry he is credited with inventing. He is a Master Speaker and conducts national speaking tours, lectures, and seminars focused on effective leadership, strategy, Board architecture, becoming and exceptional Board Director candidate, professional project/program management, and entrepreneurship.

His popular book, 'Across The Board: The Modern Architecture Behind an Effective Board of Directors,’ an Amazon best-seller with over 13,000 copies in circulation in 70 countries, has influenced a whole new generation of Board Directors.

Mr. Pfister is a proficient Board Director and CEO with experience across multiple industry verticals. He is typically the Chair, or a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, Governance Committee, Technology & Cybersecurity Committee, and Nominating Committee. Mr. Pfister’s experience as a renowned Board Consultant, having guided and coached hundreds of Boards, Board Committees, and Board Members, additionally offers up unique and informed viewpoints to the companies he serves.

He holds a Masters Professional Board Certification through the American College of Corporate Directors (ACCD), is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute (PMI), and holds a Certified Cyber Intelligence Professional Board Certification (CCIP) through the McAfee Institute.

Available For: Authoring, Consulting, Influencing, Speaking
Travels From: New York, NY
Speaking Topics: Boards of Directors, Business Strategy, Governance

Mark A. Pfister Points
Academic 0
Author 51
Influencer 0
Speaker 0
Entrepreneur 0
Total 51

Points based upon Thinkers360 patent-pending algorithm.

Thought Leader Profile

Portfolio Mix

Company Information

Company Type: Individual
Theatre: North America, Global
Minimum Project Size: Undisclosed
Average Hourly Rate: Undisclosed
Number of Employees: Undisclosed
Company Founded Date: Undisclosed
Media Experience: 10 Years
Last Media Training: 01/09/2020
Last Media Interview: 01/14/2020

Areas of Expertise

Business Strategy 31.97
Change Management 31.84
Culture
Cybersecurity
Diversity and Inclusion
Entrepreneurship
Future of Work
Leadership 30.79
Mergers and Acquisitions
Risk Management 30.12
Sustainability

Industry Experience

Aerospace & Defense
Agriculture & Mining
Automotive
Chemicals
Consumer Products
Engineering & Construction
Federal & Public Sector
Financial Services & Banking
Healthcare
High Tech & Electronics
Higher Education & Research
Hospitality
Industrial Machinery & Components
Insurance
Manufacturing
Media
Oil & Gas
Pharmaceuticals
Professional Services
Retail
Telecommunications
Travel & Transportation
Utilities
Wholesale Distribution

Publications

1 Article/Blog
Boards and the Baby Boomer Retirement Effect
Across The Board
June 12, 2014
The large retirement effect on Boards of Directors

See publication

Tags: Business Strategy, Leadership, Risk Management

1 Book
Across The Board: The Modern Architecture Behind an Effective Board of Directors
M. A. Pfister Strategy Group
March 15, 2018
Reached Amazon's #1 New Release in Corporate Governance and in circulation in over 70 countries

"E = mc^2 was a powerful equation that brought order to the inter-relationship of mass and energy. It took one stroke from a genius to bring a higher-order perception of the relationship to practical terms - this after centuries of understanding the individual factors, but without a repeatable formula, or 'architecture,' to bring predictability. Boards are no different. We all understand the importance in the individual factors of our Board existence... good governance oversight, challenging and endorsing strategy, CEO selection, and the like. Now, in `Across The Board,' Mark A. Pfister decodes the underlying architecture and ties the foundational elements into a futuristic equation that can be effectively applied to create, or reinvigorate, tomorrow's Boards."

See publication

Tags: Business Strategy, Change Management, Leadership

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Mark A. Pfister