In ConversationWith -MarkWalton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Having a positive impact
Mark Walton, Managing Director of Voya, chats to IB about his work / life balance.
I ended up in the beauty industry because…My family run Voya Seaweed Baths, which began in 1912 when the first seaweed bath, or wellness centre opened on the wild Atlantic coast of Strandhill, Co. Sligo, like an Irish Thalossotherapy concept. Right now we have amassed a range of products and therapies for three key sectors – hotel amenity, Spa and retail.
If I wasn’t in the beauty industry I would be…I’d love to say professional surfer, but that’s just a flight of fancy. I often think it’s very noble to commit your life to charitable causes, but I’m not sure I could walk the walk. I like to think I could and it’s something that my wife (and business partner) Kira in particular feels strongly about.
The best thing about my job is… We get emails from people all the time who have derived huge benefit from our products and treatments, particularly with conditions like psoriasis and eczema, which are a curse for many. It’s nice to know we have had a positive impact on people’s lives. Also, we meet amazing people in this industry and get to travel some unique locations.
An average day for me is…I’m in a good place right now, haven’t been travelling internationally in a while (two months), so I regularly get up and go to the gym or Yoga in the morning before work. I like to start work 8:30am and finish around 6ish. If there is surf I like to get in for a surf in the evening and then I create a masterpiece in the kitchen, if I do say so myself.
My ideal weekend would be… Strandhill is a great place to live. So my ideal weekend is being home, having dinner with friends, surfing,
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Mark Walton
hiking, walking on the beach. My wife and I work very hard and enjoy the piece of a beautiful day on the west coast of Ireland.
My favourite book is… Hemmingway ruined me for life! I love For Whom the Bell Tolls. I like escapism in books; running a business means we need a little mental popcorn at night! I read a Wilbur Smith book recently, Monsoon, which I loved.
My favourite film is…I love the cinema; I actually see too many films probably, especially on long haul flights. I don’t want to be boring, but I loved the The Shawshank Redemption. I also loved Cinema Paradiso, and more recently I thought The King’s Speech was great.
The most famous person I have met is…I generally don’t flock to famous people, as in celebrities, sorry
don’t see the appeal. I’ve been in the company of Ted Danson recently and Buddie my little dog.
My favourite part of the world is… I’ve had the pleasure to travel to many amazing parts of the world – Bali, Thailand, New Mexico, Caribbean, Africa. However, I would always look forward to coming home to Sligo.
I could not live without…Kira to keep me on the straight and narrow!
My favourite beauty treatment is… A seaweed bath in Voya seaweed baths in Sligo, easy.
When growing up my role model was…The perseverance of cause of the Dalai Lama, the integrity of Nelson Mandela, the compassion of Mary Robinson and tortured creativity of Kurt Cobain.
I would like to be remembered as…A kind and fair person, who gave more than he took from this world.
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