# Mark O’Hare

> Mark O’Hare is a British entrepreneur, Preqin co-founder and former CEO, and Vice Chair at BlackRock. He previously founded Citywatch, sold to Reuters in 1998. His family holding company, Valhalla Ventures, invests in data and technology businesses; he and his wife Lindy also own Thorington Theatre in Suffolk.

- **Role:** Vice Chair at BlackRock
- **Organizations:** BlackRock, Preqin, Valhalla Ventures, Citywatch, Boston Consulting Group, Goodall Alexander O’Hare & Co, Thorington Theatre, Avvoka
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics; first-class honours, University of Cambridge, Finance studies, London Business School
- **Known for:** Won the Stokes Prize at Cambridge and graduated with first-class honours., Founded Citywatch, acquired by Reuters in 1998., Co-founded Preqin; the business reported approximately 1,500 employees and 16 offices at its twentieth anniversary in 2023.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Manager at Boston Consulting Group; subsequently founded Goodall Alexander O’Hare & Co.
- **1993** — Founded Citywatch, a UK share-ownership information service.
- **1998** — Reuters acquired Citywatch.
- **2003** — Co-founded Private Equity Intelligence, later Preqin, with Nick Arnott.
- **2016** — Appointed an Avvoka director on 8 February, according to Companies House.
- **2021** — Thorington Theatre opened; Preqin acquired Colmore.
- **2022** — Christoph Knaack succeeded O’Hare as Preqin CEO effective 1 January.
- **2025** — BlackRock completed its Preqin acquisition on 3 March; O’Hare joined as Vice Chair.
- **2026** — Mark and Lindy O’Hare’s Valhalla Ventures led a £14 million Avvoka investment.

## Achievements

- Won the Stokes Prize at Cambridge and graduated with first-class honours.
- Founded Citywatch, acquired by Reuters in 1998.
- Co-founded Preqin; the business reported approximately 1,500 employees and 16 offices at its twentieth anniversary in 2023.
- Preqin was acquired by BlackRock in a transaction agreed at £2.55 billion in cash.
- With Lindy O’Hare, owns Thorington Theatre and is listed as a donor to Britten Pears Arts’ capital programme.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Britten Pears Arts reopened its refurbished Britten Pears Building as home to the O’Hare Music Centre; Mark and Lindy are listed among capital-programme donors.
- **2026-03** — Avvoka announced a £14 million funding round led by Mark and Lindy O’Hare’s Valhalla Ventures on 9 March.
- **2025-11** — Appeared in a Preqin private-markets webinar with Wei Li and gave an interview about data, AI and Aladdin integration.
- **2025-03** — Became BlackRock Vice Chair following completion of the Preqin acquisition.

## Links

- Website: https://valhallaventures.co.uk/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-o-hare-77b37010

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/mark-ohare
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21