Discreet Diplomacy ™

"Quiet channels. Trusted presence. Principled outcomes.”

As a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Mark is professionally qualified in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and has applied his commercial acumen and deal-making expertise to the practice of peacemaking. With more than 25 years of experience supporting peacebuilding and post-conflict transformation across diverse and challenging environments, he brings not only strategic insight but the weight of lived experience to this vital work.

Discreet efforts yield the best results

Much of diplomacy unfolds away from public view—not out of secrecy, but because meaningful progress requires protected space and patient time. It is in these quiet, pressure-free settings that critical conversations are most likely to take root. Through decades of experience in international peacemaking, reconciliation, and post-conflict transformation, Mark has found that discreet, well-stewarded efforts often lead to the most enduring outcomes.

Multi-Track Diplomacy

Through Guiding Principles™ for Discreet Diplomacy, we support private sector engagement in multitrack diplomacy—particularly Track 2, Track 3, and Track 7 efforts that advance dialogue, trust-building, and humanitarian outcomes beyond formal statecraft.

Mark has applied these principles in practice, playing a quiet yet pivotal role in the release of detainees, the repatriation of nationals, and the convening of confidential peer-group roundtables designed to foster understanding and resolve. His work reflects the strategic potential of non-state actors to contribute meaningfully to peace and reconciliation.

The most powerful demonstration of goodwill is to make yourself available to travel to see the other party

DiscreetDiplomacy.com is about embodied presence on behalf of another — quiet action on mission:

Acting as a back-channel representative for a leader, organization, or ministry
Rebuilding trust between estranged institutions, nations, or communities
Strategic listening tours or quiet engagements in advance of formal negotiations
Situational problem-solving where public exposure would hinder progress

Consult Mark J. Finlay about Peacemaking, Multi-track Diplomacy & ADR