Black Swan Productions, the Cardiff-based branded content and creative group which won the Creative Impact Award at Wales Business Awards, has appointed Mark Sweeny – Founder and Group Chief Executive of de Novo Solutions and one of Wales' most prominent serial entrepreneurs – as Non-Executive Director across the Black Swan group of companies.
The appointment marks a significant moment in the group's growth, bringing one of the most recognisable names in Welsh business into a senior advisory role spanning Black Swan Productions, Black Swan Agency, Black Swan Films, Black Swan Podcast, and an exciting scripted venture soon to be announced.
Mark Sweeny's entrepreneurial credentials are among the strongest in Wales. As Founder and Chief Executive of Certus Solutions he pioneered Oracle Cloud applications across UK&I before its acquisition by Accenture in May 2018.
In 2021 Mark founded de Novo Solutions, headquartered in Langstone, Newport. de Novo was ranked eighth in the 2025 Sunday Times 100 fastest-growing companies in the UK, deliberately headquartered in Wales as a strategic move to champion the technology ecosystem.
Recently, Mark has launched MASANAS – the Sweeny family's venture arm dedicated to developing entrepreneurial talent across Wales, deploying patient capital into Welsh businesses with genuine growth potential, and investing in community projects that benefit young people. His Non-Executive appointment at Black Swan sits firmly within that mission.
Mark Sweeny said:
“Black Swan Productions have quickly become a trusted supplier and extension of our team. Their ability to listen, visualise, and actively collaborate with us in positioning de Novo to the wider market has been critical and central to our growth strategy. I look forward to deepening that partnership – and to supporting Haydn and the team as they build Black Swan into one of Wales' leading creative companies. The entrepreneurial ambition here – spanning branded content, agency work, theatrical film, and genuinely unique creative ventures – is exactly the kind of bold, Wales-first thinking I want to get behind.”
Haydn Wakeling, Founder of Black Swan, said:
“Having Mark join us in this capacity is a real statement of intent. He has built and sold world-class businesses, he champions Wales at every turn, and he genuinely understands what it takes to scale with purpose. We've worked together long enough to know how well we think as a team – and I'm excited about what this unlocks for Black Swan's next chapter. This is such a proud moment in our history and one that will take us to the next stage with Mark’s vision and experience backing us.”
