The man credited with helping to turn airline ticket search engine Skyscanner from a fledgling  startup to a globally recognised brand has been announced as keynote speaker for the Institute of Directors Northern Ireland (IoD NI) Annual Dinner in 2018.

Mark Logan, formerly Chief Operating Officer at the Edinburgh-headquartered firm, will address more than 500 delegates at the event which is considered among the highlights of the annual business social calendar.

Taking place on 22nd February, 2018 at Titanic Belfast, the dinner is sponsored by Bank of Ireland and leading law firm Arthur Cox.

Kirsty McManus, National Director of IoD NI said:

“Each year the Annual Dinner provides a welcome opportunity for business leaders to meet and network together in a relaxed social setting.

“However, it also plays an important role in allowing them to exchange industry knowledge and expertise with one another.

“We are delighted therefore to secure Mark Logan as keynote speaker for the event in 2018.

“His story is one of helping to drive major growth across several companies, most notably Skyscanner which is now one of the best known online platforms globally.

“Signposting and providing business leaders with the tools to successfully scale up their companies is among the key objectives of the IoD and helps to promote wider economic prosperity.

“We look forward to hearing what lessons can be garnered from Mark’s experiences.”

In 2016, Mark was named Director of the Year by the Institute of Directors in Scotland, which commended in particular his “transformational leadership”.

During his time at Skyscanner, from which he has now moved on, staff numbers grew from 100 to more than 600 while revenues jumped almost 50% last year to more than £90m.

The firm is one of few UK-based companies to have achieved ‘unicorn’ status by reaching a valuation of more than $1 billion as a start-up.

Its approach to incentivising staff by enabling all employees to purchase shares in the business directly from their salary has also been lauded with the scheme receiving international recognition.

Mark had already made his name by overseeing the growth of software firm Atlantech which he joined when it had just five people before it later sold Cisco for £180 million with 180 employees.

Dale Guest, Director of Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking NI, commented:

“Bank of Ireland is proud to continue our support of the IoD and, like the Institute of Directors, we are committed to listening to the business leaders and entrepreneurs in NI and working with them to achieve their business aspirations. We very much look forward to hearing from Mark Logan and learning from his experiences, successes and challenges in making Skyscanner the successful business it is today.

We are delighted to again support this year’s IoD Annual Dinner and we look forward to welcoming you all on the night.”

Catriona Gibson, Managing Partner of Arthur Cox, commented:

“The IoD’s Annual Dinner provides a welcome opportunity for leading members of the business community to network, and we look forward to Mark Logan providing his insights this year.

“The level of funding achieved by Skyscanner during its startup phase is one of the greatest success stories for a UK online enterprise in recent years, and provides a fantastic example for other businesses to learn from.

“The dinner forms part of our long-standing partnership with the IoD. We are proud to support the organisation through the delivery of an in-depth programme of professional development events throughout the year that help delegates achieve the core competencies of an effective director.”

For more information, visit iod.com/ni or Twitter @IoDNI.