Mark Olsen

“I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving – we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it – but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Managing Director

Drawing on over two decades of experience, Mark Olsen provides institutional retirement plan consulting to 401(k), 403(b) and defined benefit plans. His specialties include plan governance, investment searches, investment monitoring and plan oversight serving as a lead consultant for Higher Education, Government, Energy and Manufacturing clients. As the Managing Director, Mark is responsible for the management, development and implementation of the firm’s goals and strategies. He ensures the team shares the vision of client satisfaction by personally selecting and training the staff.

Mark is recognized as a leader within the industry and speaks at national conferences including Pensions & Investments, Stable Value Investment Association, and CUPA-HR. Prior to founding PlanPILOT, Mark has held consulting positions at Mercer Investment Consulting and Willis Towers Watson. He’s had significant experience with Fortune 500 defined contribution plans from an investment and plan governance perspective.

Mark earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from DePaul University. Outside of managing the firm, he is an avid sailboat racer and participates in the annual Chicago Mac race, the longest freshwater race in the world. During the winter months, he enjoys cross country skiing.