Mark Bowling, originally from Tenby, was recently appointed as president of the Royal British Legion in Thailand. In this voluntary role, he will counsel the chairman and officers as necessary in the execution of their duties.

Mark will oversee all operations centred around raising money and seeking corporate sponsors for events such as the Poppy Appeal, Poppy Golf, Remembrance in Kanchanaburi, Gurkha curry nights, family fun days and other social events. During his presidency, Mark will be instrumental in implementing additional activities such as a sponsored bicycle ride from Thailand along the route of the Death Railway through to Three Pagodas Pass on the border with Myanmar.

In addition to his role at the legion, Mark is also a director of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand, and maintains strong links with the British Embassy in Bangkok, where he liaises with H.E. Brian Davidson, the British ambassador, on a regular basis, together with the defence and commercial attachés in an effort to raise funding and support for a wide variety of welfare cases. Alongside providing assistance for British ex-service men, women and their families both in Thailand and the UK, Mark will also assist Thai veterans caught up in the conflict with insurgents on the Southern border of Thailand.

Mark is a long-term resident of Thailand where he has been an influential figure in the property market for many years, leading his office Colliers International to win three successive wins as Best Agent at the Thailand Property Awards. He lives in Chonburi province with his 10-year-old son Alfie and his fiancée Watcharporn Kaewprakay.