Marcus East

Marcus East is an energetic, dynamic technology leader with nearly 25 years’ experience of building innovative technology solutions around the globe...

Half of his career has been spent working for major technology companies IBM and Apple where he learnt how to build world-class technology, and for the other half of his career it has been his privilege to work with a number of major consumer-facing brands helping them to harness the power of IT.

Marcus is EVP & Chief Technology Officer for National Geographic, an organization with a 130-year old history that is transitioning into the digital age and using technology to bring its powerful storytelling and iconic imagery to a new audience. He is responsible for the organization’s digital product and technology teams and has a mission to help re-engineer the organization for the digital age. This includes embracing the power of the cloud as an alternative to traditional applications and systems, and replacing a number of disparate, legacy systems with a new platform called ‘CHIP’, driven by micro-services and the use of serverless computing.

During his time living in Silicon Valley, Marcus developed a deep knowledge of agile and also learned about successful approaches to innovation and digital technology, and his experience at Apple has helped to understand the importance of new technologies and techniques in developing compelling consumer experiences that customers love. Marcus holds a Bachelor’s from London Guildhall where he majored in Management and Information Technology, and a Master’s in Management from the University of Cambridge; he is also a Fellow of the BCS Chartered Institute for IT.

He was born in London and attended the Latymer Grammar School in his native Enfield and also served as Councilor for Enfield Chase ward from 2010-2014.