Mark Wessner

Background

About Mark Wessner

My entrepreneurial journey started in middle school when I loaned money to my big brother on weekends (at exorbitant interest!). In college, I made money typing papers and selling hot dogs in the dorm after curfew. In my 20s, I launched a photography business, and in my 30s, a web design company — back when HTML code was typed in Windows Notepad. Business, innovation, and leadership have been part of my life as long as I can remember. I began my formal leadership in the Government of British Columbia, where I spent more than a decade managing a $25–50 million annual portfolio of land development projects spanning 70% of the province. I also launched one of BC’s first integrated single-point-of-contact offices for natural resource development, honing skills in managing complexity, balancing stakeholder needs, and aligning projects with long-term growth. For the next decade, I served as a pastor at Westwood Church, including six years as Lead Pastor. I guided the congregation through significant transition and restructuring, implementing new governance systems, strengthening staff leadership, and building community partnerships. These changes led to growth, expanded services, and increased community impact. In higher education, I designed and launched the American Public University System’s first undergraduate Religious Studies degree program. At the University of Northern British Columbia, I created the university’s first undergraduate courses in Christianity and biblical studies, opening new avenues for dialogue in an academic setting. Today, I serve as President of MB Seminary, where I’ve led a major organizational transformation to establish a distributed and collaborative model of graduate education across Canada. This includes launching the Teaching Churches initiative, initiating the ACTS World Campus, forging strategic partnerships, and guiding the institution through financial restructuring. I also speak regularly at conferences, churches, and leadership gatherings. Alongside my executive role, I founded LeadingWell, a coaching and consulting practice that equips CEOs, boards, and senior teams with tools for self-awareness, relational intelligence, and performance. As a Birkman Certified Professional, I love helping leaders understand themselves and others so they can lead with clarity and purpose. I believe leadership is about making a positive difference by living the mission, not just managing it. My passion is to come alongside leaders, modelling values of service, faith, innovation, strategy, and team empowerment in every arena.