Mark Connell

As Managing Director, Mark leads Up Wealth's operations and sets the strategic direction of the business. He also works directly with clients as an Adviser, helping affluent professionals and families build wealth, plan for retirement, and pass wealth on to the next generation.

I love helping people, and I'm genuinely curious about their stories. 

One of the most powerful things we do as advisers is show clients the real impact of their decisions. Often, a client comes in with a question they've been chewing over for years. Can I retire? Can I drop to part-time? Can I help my kids without compromising my future? When we sit together and run the modelling live on a screen, pulling levers and showing them the outcomes in real time, you can see the moment something clicks. The uncertainty drops away. They realise the life they've been working toward is actually closer than they thought.

I've had clients walk out of those meetings, go home, and resign from jobs they'd been hanging onto out of fear. I've had clients call the next day to say they've finally booked the trip. That's the power of seeing it in numbers. It creates certainty. It gives peace of mind that things will be okay.

With my business hat on, I love the challenge of building a high-quality advice business that means something to our clients. Part of that is growing the team, investing in our people, and helping them develop. It's a long-term project, and one I care about deeply. 

I also like to stay involved in the conversations shaping the future of the financial advice profession in Australia. I have presented at various financial advice conferences, sat on various Advisory committees and am presently a Director and Board Member of Rhombus Advisory.

Outside work, I spend most of my time with my family, whether that's at the kids' sporting events or just quiet time at home.  I’m a somewhat regular gym goer and enjoy heading off on a walk with my wife. I love travel, though I'm guilty of not doing enough of it. That's something I plan to fix.

I'm also a loyal and long-suffering St. George Dragons fan.