Mark Pownall has more than three decades of media experience, predominantly in business media in Perth, with a foray to the financial centre of London in the mid 1990s.
Mr Pownall has a vast body of work available through the archives of Business News, including news articles and features on many subjects. He has written a regular column for Business News since he joined as Editor in 2000 and has also been a key part of the Mark My Words podcast duo with Mark Beyer since 2014. On stage, Mr Pownall has interviewed many of the state's business leaders.
For most of his time at Business News, Mr Pownall ran the content operations of the business and was integral to the implementation of all the company’s digital products – the twice daily email newsletters, weekly podcasts, deals database and the Data & Insights subscriber database and search engine.
In early 2017 he became CEO of Business News, a role he had for three years before transitioning to his last executive position as Director of Strategy & Innovation, where he was responsible for digital transformation and new product development, including the rollout of a new subscriber-only remuneration platform. He is now back on the tools as a working journalist.
Mr Pownall's media career started with sports reporting while he studied for a Commerce degree at the University of Western Australia. He followed that with a post-graduate qualification in English at Curtin University.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss BGC, Wesfarmers, National Lifestyle Villages, battery plant speculation, blockchain, and our special report is information and communications technology.
PODCAST: Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss defence contracts, LNG developments, high density housing, master entrepreneurs, The West Australian, lithium and our special report on philanthropy.
A renewed activist focus on the carbon sequestration efforts on Barrow Island is, like many populist arguments these days, abusing language to stir up emotions.
PODCAST: Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss the state and federal budgets, three byelections in WA (or maybe four), regulator activity, and our special report this week is the wine industry.
PODCAST: Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss Belmont Park apartments, Lithium projects, Fringe Festival, Chris Sutherland, and BN's special report on universities.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss $3bn federal infrastructure boost, Perth’s urban sprawl, Burrup gas projects, global LNG production, Westin Hotel opens and mining projects.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall, Matt Mckenzie, and Katie McDonald discuss Gorgon stage two, corporate tax debate, defence contracts, employment data, fracking ban, tourism, and our building and construction feature.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss house price recovery, lithium contract win, automation in WA, remuneration report, GST, indigenous contracting, our feature on corporate finance includes big recent takeovers and the trends in other mergers and acquisitions + a capital raising wrap-up.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss Applecross towers, Scarborough high-rise, Gary Brown-Neaves, infrastructure priorities, cycling fund raisers, Wayne Martin retires, and our special report on agribusiness.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss Trump’s trade war WA impact, residential property prices, population and labour statistics, World Trade Centre, Pacific Energy, ride sharing and our special report Most Influential.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss Coles spinoff plan, tourism challenge, waste to energy, remembering Warwick Kent and Mal Bryce, and our ICT feature focuses on where to for GovNext and cybersecurity.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall and Matt Mckenzie discuss 40under40, international student market, road infrastructure, rich list, US steel and aluminium tariffs, Yagan Square, rugby union, and our special report on oil and gas.
Michael McLean, the long-time executive director of the Masters Builders Association WA, talked to Mark Pownall on the day he announced plans to retire.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss Langoulant review, government CIO, apartment developers, private business including Morrison, Hancock and D’Orsogna.
A new book by Meerkats co-founder Mike Edmonds, Truth, Growth, Repeat, expounds a business philosophy influenced by four decades of advertising industry experience, good and bad.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss McGowan’s first year, Perth Modern School, Scarborough LNG, cryptocurrency and blockchain, Pilbara Minerals and junior mining.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss market volatility, Cooper & Oxley, Bunnings, infrastructure WA, Ron Sayers, Kelvin Ryan, and musical chairs in Perth’s law firms.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss house prices – up or down? CBD office vacancies, residential building volatility, AWE bidding war, Quintis update, mining robots, Adventure World and ports and transport.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall, Matt Mckenzie, and Katie McDonald discuss the Quintis collapse, Wheatstone’s environmental conditions, Doric’s Chinese joint venture, wage gap battle, Fringe festival and land developers.
PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss the Australian dollar and commodities, blockchain technology, contract wins and deals, Imdex's expansion, and franchising.