Marko is from the Virumaa region. He graduated in Geology from the University of Tartu in 1989 and obtained a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the same university in 2001. He was the governor of Lääne-Viru County from 1995-2003 and was elected four times in succession to the Estonian parliament. He served in the government as the Minister of Social Affairs (2003-2005), the Minister of the Interior (2009-2011) and the Minister of the Environment (2015-2017). Based on his experience, he wrote a book entitled Minu ministeeriumid (‘My Ministries’) that was published by Hea Lugu in 2018 – a must-read for anyone appointed minister prior to taking up office. He is a member of Rakvere City Council, on which he uses social media to pass on the decisions the council makes in a language that everyone understands. In terms of public relations, it is worth noting that during his time as Minister of Social Affairs, he was voted ‘Friend to the Press’ for the year 2004 by the Estonian Newspaper Association. Where his own personal relations are concerned, he has been married for 30 years. He is a nature-lover, plays sport and exercises to keep fit and over the years has written an enormous number of opinion pieces for a variety of media publications in Estonia.
Marko´s company Bitter orange is a consistent and enthusiastic partner of Powerhouse.