Former Intel, Vodafone and Seagate executive Mark Whitby has been appointed chair of EdTech firm BibliU.
The London company has developed a platform allowing universities and colleges around the world to provide digital content including textbooks to their students.
“At this pivotal moment in higher education, expanding access to course materials is not just an issue of cost—it’s deeply intertwined with the questions of learning equity and opportunity that drive decision-making,” said CEO Dave Sherwood.
“Mark’s unique global background and leadership expertise will enable BibliU to continue our work to help colleges and universities reimagine how they deliver resources in ways that both reduce cost and improve outcomes.”
Prior to joining BibliU, Whitby spent nearly a decade at Seagate Technology, where he led the company’s $1.1 billion business in Europe before being appointed SVP of Seagate’s Global Consumer Group.
He began his career at Intel, where he served as UK & Ireland country director among other senior leadership roles, and served as a global director at Vodafone before joining Seagate.
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The son of teachers and a lifelong proponent of equity in education, Whitby also serves as a digital governor at Amesbury Preparatory School and Box Hill School in Surrey and a volunteer coach on the UK Teach First Program.
“The potential of technology to solve persistent social challenges has long been a driving force in my career, as has the role of education in expanding access to opportunity,” said Whitby.
“Supporting BibliU’s work provides an opportunity to pursue both of these missions at once, applying sophisticated tech to tackle one of higher education’s most pervasive issues of equity and access.”
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Founded through Oxford University’s start–up incubator, BibliU has helped more than 100 diverse institutions across the United States and Europe, such as Cornell University, Oxford University, University of Phoenix and Occidental College, provide essential course materials and support to students, while helping to eradicate the hidden costs of learning that so often present barriers to persistence and completion.
BibliU, which works with 2,000 publishers and OER providers, partners directly with universities and colleges to improve both student engagement and outcomes, putting digital textbooks, courseware, and monographs at the fingertips of all students, no matter their economic backgrounds.