Mark Baker

Mark Baker is Executive Director, Northern Cities, where his key focus is to facilitate the Northern Cities Major Development Initiative by leading the design and management of funding programs and civic infrastructure projects that drive significant economic growth in Northern Tasmania. This sees him working across the Australian, State and Local Governments and agencies along with other key stakeholders to achieve the outcomes of Northern Cities initiatives across the North and North-West of the State. Previously, he was CEO of Northern Tasmania Development Corporation, an economic development agency funded by local government to facilitate significant improvement in prosperity in North and North-East Tasmania. Mark also worked in the media industry for more than 16 years and was managing editor of Australian Community Media - Tasmania and South Australia, with responsibility for both The Examiner and The Advocate's newsrooms in Tasmania and South Australia's 16 regional publications. He was born in Launceston and completed his Bachelor of Arts with majors in English and History at the University of Tasmania, graduating in 2002. Mark became a cadet journalist at The Examiner in 2003 and covered police and court rounds until 2006 when he moved to Hobart as the newspaper's chief political reporter. Returning to Launceston in 2008 as chief of staff, he later became deputy editor in 2012. During this time he returned to UTas to complete his Master of Arts degree. Mark became only the 14th editor of The Examiner in 173 years in 2014. At that year's PANPA Newspaper of the Year Awards, he was the recipient of the prestigious Hegarty Scholarship, which recognises the outstanding management achievements in news media executives in the Pacific region aged under 35. Mark's study tour took him to the United States where he observed newsrooms on both sides of the country including the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times, Huffington Post and The Boston Globe. He also observed and learned from some of the digital disruptors including Quartz, Politico and Medium. Mark is heavily involved in community and charitable groups as a director of StGiles, a trustee of the Tamar Peace Trust and a trustee of the David Chaplin Memorial Fund. He has previously been a director of the Clifford Craig Foundation, a director of the Launceston Chamber of Commerce and director of the National Automobile Museum of Tasmania. In 2021, Mark was named the Australian Institute of Company Directors – 2021 Tasmanian emerging director.