Mark Plonka

Business Partner

Graduating in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from the University of Queensland in Australia, Mark has gathered extensive clinical experience of occupational therapy in Australia and in London, where he has lived and worked since 2004. A decision to change career direction saw him take on the role of practice manager and clinical co-ordinator, a role which he has been in since we opened in 2015.

Mark has a key interest in people and improving their health outcomes and during his career he has been involved in a number of projects to either develop clinical pathways or improve the patient’s customer journey, something he is passionate about.

Through his social pursuits and work roles in the community, Mark knows many of the areas from which Smile Up’s patients come from. He loves south London for its variety in people, restaurants, parks and cafes and can recommend to you his favourite independent coffee house in nearly every area.

Mark is a keen and committed tennis enthusiast, training weekly and competing in the Kent fixtures league. He jogs, swims and gyms when he has the time, and this year aims to improve from half-triathlon to the Olympic distance. He’s a massive lover of music, film, travel, languages and dance; you’re likely to bump into Mark at the Greenwich Picturehouse (of which he is a member), one of the local colleges’ dance or language classes, or just having fun in the spin and aerobics class at the leisure centre.