Quark Software Turns 40, Sets Course for a Brilliant Future Led by New CEO

Martin Owen joins company to reposition it for serious growth by delivering content design, automation and intelligence to global enterprises

In only four months at the helm of Quark Software, the global company that pioneered graphic design, digital publishing and content automation, CEO Martin Owen has reorganized and repositioned the organization for rapid growth. Owen’s goal is to make Quark, now privately owned by Parallax Capital Partners, the essential component for content creation, automation and intelligence for closed-loop content lifecycle management.

Owen, who joined the company in May, prioritized building a new leadership team, streamlining Quark’s product portfolio – which includes flagship graphic design and digital publishing software QuarkXPress – and reengineering and refocusing product management and support to ensure customer success. New investments also have been made in marketing for rebranding, redesigning the website, and demand generation.

“I’ve helped organizations catapult their revenue by up to 40% by expanding from a single solution to integrated, multi-product platforms and believe my reputation in product development, from ideation to rollout, will serve Quark well,” Owen explained. “This year marks 40 years in business for Quark, so my job is to build on our legacy of creativity and help customers realize the benefits of both brilliant design and automating the processes involved in managing, collaborating, publishing, delivering and analyzing their content assets.”

According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), 81% of organizations view content as a core business strategy, up from 72% in 2020. “But content isn’t easy or cost-effective to produce, doesn’t always yield the intended results, and can be difficult to locate within large enterprises that use numerous, unaggregated systems,” Owen said.

In addition, such organizations as banking and investment firms, pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers are required to produce copious amounts of complex documents, from research reports and technical data sheets to standard operating procedures and product manuals. “Without a content management strategy, assets may never be used properly if at all,” added Owen. In fact, research from Forrester indicated 77% of B2B marketing organizations report significant challenges with content activation with internal and external audiences.

Quark’s software solutions help confront the content challenges as described above. QuarkXPress is used for page layout, graphics and illustrations, photo editing and digital publishing. Quark Publishing Platform is used for structured authoring, component management and omnichannel publishing, and Quark Docurated is for content curation, delivery and analysis. Together, these solutions make it possible to manage content assets throughout their lifecycle, from creation through publishing and delivery with insights about use and engagement that can be factored into revisions or retirements.

To deliver on the various use cases for its software products, Quark is working on new roadmaps and product integrations that will enhance its SaaS, AI and ML capabilities. “We also are planning to expand sales in the United States and Europe and product management and customer support in Europe, plus we’re expanding our strategic alliances and partner programs to strengthen offerings to such heavily regulated industries as financial services, healthcare and legal,” Owen noted.

Owen, who lives in Birmingham, United Kingdom with his wife, is active in supporting his local community. He is a board advisor for Payara Services, Ltd., a U.K. technology company, and serves as chairman of Wooden Spoon Charity for the West Midlands, which raises money to fund projects that help children and young people with disabilities or living in disadvantage through the power of rugby.