Mark Watters is a member of Boston Consulting Group’s Center for Digital Government and leads the firm’s Public Sector practice in Australia and New Zealand.

Mark has worked extensively across the Commonwealth Government on major policy, organizational, and technology reforms, including engagements in defense, immigration and border protection, human services, health, communications, and tax and finance. He leads the National Security team in Australia and New Zealand.

Mark is a topic expert in corporate strategy in the public sector, and in ensuring the alignment of governance, organizational structures, workforce, and technology capabilities with target outcomes. He also has deep expertise in collaborative procurement approaches suited to complex business and technology sourcing. For his BCG clients, Mark has driven operational improvements through policy, program, and service delivery functions including supporting engagement with front-line staff.

In addition, Mark is a member of BCG’s People & Organization practice, and part of the Asia Pacific Digital Acceleration office, where he focuses on how government can best take advantage of new digital technologies in both policy development and public administration. Mark led the Canberra Office from 2016 to 2018, and currently leads all recruiting activity for BCG in Australia and New Zealand.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

  • Corporate strategy in the public sector
  • National security, including defense and border protection
  • Immigration, visa, and citizenship
  • Human and social services, education, and local government
  • Large-scale transformation, organization design, change, and program management
  • Digital, advanced analytics, next generation technology function
  • Collaborative, complex business and technology procurement

EDUCATION

  • MBA, distinction, London Business School
  • Bachelor of Accounting, distinction, University of Technology Sydney

Publications and Videos

A Five-Step Agenda for Smarter Government Spending

A Five-Step Agenda for Smarter Government Spending

Many public sector agencies face financial strain after the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are the best practices for reducing expenses while raising efficiency and effectiveness.
Empowering Governments to Buy Smarter in Defense

Empowering Governments to Buy Smarter in Defense

As economic pressure grows and budgets shrink, procurement officials need to revise their negotiating strategy with contractors so they get more for their countries’ money.
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Border Biosecurity Must Be Reinvented to Restart Economies

COVID tests, risk color-codes, quarantines, and contact-tracing software will become standard parts of international travel for the next few years.
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Government Procurement Gets the MIDAS Touch

When used in conjunction with conventional methods, market-informed design and sourcing (MIDAS) can help governments deliver more successful procurement outcomes and greater financial and nonfinancial value.

Innovation in Defense: New Horizons on the Defense Agenda

Innovation should be at the top of the defense agenda. Significant changes have taken place not only in the national and international security context, from cold war military postures to a much more complex and less predictable security situation.
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The Smart and Simple Way to Empower the Public Sector

Why do public-sector workers tend to be so demoralized and disengaged? Because their organizations are strangled by rules. The cure: applying the principles of Smart Simplicity.
Deep Expertise, Broad Experience