As Chief Executive Officer of Taco Bell Corp., Mark King is responsible for driving overall brand strategy and performance of the business in the U.S. and internationally. Drawing on his retail experience and track record of driving innovation, brand relevance, and culture, King accelerates the innovation, sales growth, and unique brand identity that makes Taco Bell a Category of One.
Before joining Taco Bell, King served as president of adidas North America from 2014-2018. Under his leadership, adidas market share doubled in under three years and sales tripled in four years. In addition, King cultivated new energy for the company’s culture resulting in double the number of employees at adidas, an industry-shattering retention rate, the highest employee net promoter score in the company, and more than 500,000 job applications in one year.
Prior to adidas, King spent 34 years at TaylorMade, quickly rising from a territory sales representative to president of TaylorMade in 1999 and CEO in 2002. During King’s tenure as president and CEO, TaylorMade became the leading and most profitable golf company in the world, catapulting the business from $300 million to more than $1.85 billion in sales.
Learned from his nearly 40-year career, King believes in creating the right atmosphere to unleash the potential of people to make extraordinary breakthroughs happen. As a leader, he steers with a belief system based in keeping a growth mindset, investing in people, and encouraging an innovative culture to achieve success.
In 2017, Footwear News honored King with the number one spot on their Power 100 list and in 2016 they named him “Person of the Year.” Also, in 2017 and 2016, King was named “Executive of the Year” by the Portland Business Journal. He served as the chairman of the National Golf Foundation and was consistently named as one of the ten most power people in golf during his years at TaylorMade-adidas Golf.
King currently serves on the Board of Directors for the V Foundation Victory Over Cancer. Together with his daughters, he has also raised more than $10 million for children charities around the world through their OneKind Foundation.
King graduated from University of Wisconsin – Green Bay with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
Lessons in Leadership: How to Compete in Business Today
Mark King on Leading the Next Generation
Mark King on Embracing Disruption to Drive Success
Do You Really Understand Your Customer?
Lessons in Leadership: How to Compete in Business Today
Mark King’s Speech Topics
Embrace Disruption and Drive Success: How to Create a Culture Where People Thrive and Business Booms
Every leader today has one job in common: progress your organization forward. But what worked twenty years ago doesn’t work today. The secret to business success: exceptional culture that embraces change. The only way to compete in today’s fast-paced world is to create a world-class environment for people to work. Brands, products, services are important. But the most important part of any company is its people. Business triumph comes from culture success. Learn how to create the most engaged workforce by recognizing the world is different today and understanding how to create a culture of disruption and ideation where empathy comes first.
Leading the Next Generation: How to Thrive in a World with Accelerating Change
Following one of the biggest cultural inflection points in history with the global pandemic, Gen Z has defined their future with intentional living, looking for purpose and wellness across their work. Eighty-two percent of GenZ say it’s important that their school or employer promotes mental health for themselves and others. People are the most important asset in business today so it’s time to start thinking of your people as your number one customer. Just like consumers change over time, so does your workforce. As preferences and behaviors change, you must adapt with speed and lead the way.
Key ideas:
Your way is the old way: it’s leaders who must change their thinking
The next generation prioritizes wellness and positivity above all else
Grind culture kills creativity and inspiration; people today want more out of work
Staying a Step Ahead in an Uncertain World
Less than a year into his tenure as CEO of Taco Bell Corp. in 2020, Mark King was required to pivot into crisis mode when COVID-19 restrictions were mandated. As always, he focused on people, insisting that the safety of employees and customers was the top priority.
Required to close all but drive-through traffic, it took some quick maneuvering just to remain open — resorting to hand-lettered signs when printed banners were in short supply — let alone to thrive during difficult times. Mark admits it was tough, but he now says it was a valuable lesson.
Enhanced protocols for safety are in place. Food delivery services and curbside pickup complement drive-through service, and will likely coexist with dine-in options in the future. Doubling down on the Taco Bell experience of flavor and fun will survive the pandemic.
Mark King's mantra: People count, and safety is all important. This quick-thinking executive didn't welcome the virus, but he learned from it and from consumer behavior. In this presentation he discusses how what he learned “accelerates the future.”
The leadership message is timeless: Put people first, manage change creatively, and build unique company culture by trying the unexpected.
Success will follow.
Market Conditions Don’t Determine Growth… You Do!
In any flat market there are companies that shrink and those who grow. As everyone knows during such times there is only one way to grow: Take market share from your competitors. This is precisely what TaylorMade did under Mark King’s leadership. From 2000 to present day, golf has been a no-growth market. During that time TaylorMade quadrupled its size from 300 million to 1.2 billion dollars and continues to show solid growth. One of Mark’s core beliefs centers around the concept of growth as a cultural mindset that must be infused into the bloodstream of the organization at every level. It is the leader’s responsibility to establish this and be a tireless promoter of it.
Key Ideas:
Vision and strategy are meaningless without a fully engaged staff
Set goals and challenge people to drive the “How.” The results will astound you
Create an environment where people have a sense of belonging
Creating energy and changing minds ultimately drives sustainable results
Change the rules of the game
What other organizations say about Mark King
Mark King was a phenomenal speaker with a compelling message.
Food
What other organizations say about Mark King
Mark King was a DREAM! He was professional, on time, charismatic, relatable, and GREAT to work with. I heard many people talking about him and his speech and how inspiring and relatable it was.
Human Resources
What other organizations say about Mark King
Mark King was absolutely wonderful. He did a great job with his positive message about TaylorMade-Adidas Golf and his message about empowering his people in a sales driven organization.. Mark is an amazing speaker who can speak from the heart and his head without missing a beat, a true talent.
Business Consulting
What other organizations say about Mark King
Mark King was one of the best speakers we’ve had. He was motivating, engaging and did a great job.
Health Care
What other organizations say about Mark King
Attendees raved about Mark’s leadership insights and his ability to inspire. His story really resonated with the attendees, many of whom are now wanting Mark to speak to their company’s executives. It is impossible to go wrong when you engage Mark. Highly recommend him.
Health Care
What other organizations say about Mark King
Mark King’s presentation was very well received. He is a rock star!
