Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson was born in Tauranga in 1995 with cerebral palsy and a severe brain injury. Doctors told his parents he would never walk or talk. But through an intensive, six-year therapy programme and a family who simply refused to give up, Mark proved every prediction wrong. Today, he’s a respected finance professional, an engaging keynote speaker, and a powerful advocate for resilience, mindset, and inclusive leadership.

Mark’s story begins with therapy that retrained his brain and body. Against the odds, he learned to walk, talk, and thrive in mainstream classrooms. But with inclusion came new challenges, bullying, isolation, and the psychological toll of being ‘different.’ His answer was to double down. He joined the Paralympics New Zealand development squad, competed nationally in athletics and table tennis, and found a deep sense of belonging through sport.

He also found purpose in sharing his journey. Starting with Variety’s Great Kiwi Road Trip, Mark’s voice began inspiring rooms full of people, whether school kids, CEOs, or families navigating disability. His talks are real and relatable, built on lived experience and delivered with warmth and humour. Mark doesn’t trade in clichés. He brings clarity, heart, and practical insight to every engagement.

Professionally, Mark holds a business management degree and works across New Zealand and Australia in the financial sector. His leadership and performance are recognised by his colleagues not in spite of his disability, but simply because he’s very good at what he does. That grounded, professional perspective informs every talk he gives. He’s also a committee leader for the Brain Injured Children Trust, paying forward the same support that changed his life.

This year, Mark releases his memoir, Wobbles: Tears, Laughter, Love and Inspiration, co-authored with therapist Ian Hunter. It offers a raw and honest look at his family’s journey, through diagnosis, exhaustion, triumph, and ultimately, transformation. It’s a story of what’s possible when support is consistent and belief is unshakeable. For any workplace or event looking to reframe resilience, uplift culture, or explore how adversity can shape rather than limit potential, Mark’s story lands in all the right places.

He speaks with humour, with truth, and with a message every team can take with them: support matters, mindset matters, and we are more capable than we think.