Mark Somen

Mark’s career in the Hospitality Industry begun in his native country, Kenya, at the age of sixteen and has since spanned three continents. His foray into hospitality started with leading safaris in his homeland for Abercrombie and Kent, which gave him the bug for travel and tourism.   

After studying Hotel and Catering Management at Surrey University, Mark embarked on a path with high-end hotels, namely The Connaught in London, Four Seasons Hotels and The St Regis in New York. After running restaurants for 3 years, he moved to Soho House New York as the General Manager, before being promoted to Director of US operations. After 5 years with Soho House, his dream came true of moving back home to Kenya, to run the Tribe Hotel from 2009-2012. His path brought him back to New York and London, where he helped set up The Conduit – a private members’ club building community around positive social change. Mark was the CEO until August 2020. Since The Conduit, Mark has returned to consulting work, focusing on impact-oriented hospitality projects.    

Somen sits on various boards of charities and social enterprises. Aside from being involved with FilmAid since 2009, he continues in his role as Board Chair of FilmAid Kenya. He sits on the board of Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust – an organisation in Kenya’s Chyulu Hills, focusing on conservation, health and education. And finally, he is an advisor to A Plastic Planet, with the mission of turning the plastic tap off.