IMAGINE Leaders – Mark Jankovich-Besan

Mark Jankovich-Besan

Delphis Eco, Founder & CSO

I was born and raised on the beach in South Africa. Growing up dyslexic, I hated school but loved looking at how I could make things simpler. I chose not to attend National Service so moved to the UK. After 15 years in banking in London and whilst on holiday in Italy saw a shopkeeper pour dirty soapy water into the sea we’d just been swimming in, so I gave up my job and dedicated myself to making a difference. I set up Delphis Eco in 2008 (not good timing), focusing exclusively on the commercial cleaning market to prove that eco- friendly cleaning liquids work. We launched into retail in 2021, and having doubled headcount, are launching an eco-car cleaning range in partnership with Extreme-E which will need at least another ten.

During the pandemic I initiated the ‘Tops Off’ campaign, which went viral, getting households to send back bottle closures and to send out hand sanitiser to the needy. I wrote Collaborate to Zero, a series of interviews with disruptive sustainability-minded thought leaders to help others move faster. I am a farmer in the process of rethinking linear agriculture and am trying to rewild large unproductive farms in South Africa turning them into nature reserves. I have also advised the UK Government on their SME spend.

I'm interested in a future Oxford Experience