Lead Investor, Board Advisor Refana
Location: Johnston, Iowa, United States
Mark Turchan is a leader who loves tackling big challenges and making a difference. As Lead Investor and Board Advisor at Refana, he supports groundbreaking work in cancer detection and vaccine development. With an MBA from Harvard and degrees in Applied Science from the University of Waterloo, Mark combines sharp strategy with hands-on expertise. He believes that building strong teams, streamlining processes, and creating great workplace cultures are the keys to lasting success—and he’s passionate about helping businesses thrive.
Top Skills
- Project and Program Management
- Business Process Improvement
- Cross-Functional Team Management
- Transformational Leadership
- Technology Product Development
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- P&L Management
- Operations Management
- Entrepreneurship
- Technology Integration
- Marketing Strategy
Recent or Notable Roles
- Lead Investor, Board Advisor Refana
- Director, Strategic Planning and Business Development John Deere
- Project Director/New Product Deployment The Cambridge Group
Expertise
- Transformational leadership in cross-functional change efforts to improve business performance
- Business process optimisation to streamline operations and reduce costs
- Financial acumen in analysing data and developing growth-focused strategies
- Systems thinking, modeling, and simulation applied to business solutions
- Expertise in A.I. tools and robotics for problem-solving and automation
Education
He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School and both a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.) and a Master of Applied Science (M.A.Sc.) from the University of Waterloo.
Accomplishments
- AI in medicine
- Early cancer detection
- Vaccines
Interviews
- Waterloo grads invest time and money in COVID-19 vaccine solutions
- Mark and Glenn Turchan are early investors in Refana, a company on the leading-edge of vaccine technology
Interests
Strong passion for solving complex global challenges, particularly in areas such as health technology and innovative problem-solving.
