Mark Dyer

Mark Dyer’s early career started with a job as an estate agent. Within 2 years, he quickly became a top salesman for the company he worked for.

After gaining enough knowledge of the trade, Mark founded his own agency, Nelson Randolph Estates.

Within two years, Mark had successfully operated and expanded the business with two stores across London: SW1 and W1.

Mark and his business partner eventually sold the business in 1988.

After successfully exiting his estate agency in 1988, Mark launched a property investment company, which aligned with the Government-backed Tenancy Act (Business Expansion Scheme / B.E.S.).

Started and managed multiple property funds across lettings, residential, and investment sectors in partnership with private investors. Consistently expanded and reinvested over the years, overseeing acquisitions, tenant management, and long-term portfolio growth while maintaining strong partner relationships and a diversified investment strategy.

Launched The Hacking Trust with private investors, forming successful joint ventures including a major partnership with Grainger PLC (now FTSE 250). Built a substantial portfolio of rack-rented and sitting-tenanted Rent Act properties over ten years, ultimately developing and selling the portfolio to Grainger PLC in 2007.

Led the long-term expansion of The Hacking Trust through the strategic acquisition of private limited companies via share purchases, strengthening a nationwide rack-rented and commercial property portfolio.

Over 25 years, this model enabled the company and its partners to acquire more than £750M in assets across both joint and sole ventures and 70 businesses.

Notable acquisitions include Beal and Sons Ltd, established in 1856 and historically known as a prominent Welsh manufacturer of anchors and metals.

The Hacking Trust PLC is a widely recognised brand across the UK, for its large-scale postal acquisition campaign, generating over one million letters annually. The company also owns and operates a state-of-the-art in-house mailing facility in Reading, which remains fully active.

A favourite phrase often heard from new contacts captures the success of this consistency: “Your letter arrived at the perfect time… though now I realise you’ve written every year for over 20 years.”

Mark, the son of Dianne and grandson of Muriel, was just 5 years old when his grandmother was taken from her home at Christmas, thrusting him into a world of emotional turmoil as he watched his family unravel. For years, he carried the weight of that pain, determined to find answers.

Mark has been the driving force for getting M3 to admit that they carried out the kidnapping, a 52-year-old secret kept by the kidnapper, who gave Mark the full details of the atrocities.

For years, Mark has been the driving force behind uncovering the truth, ultimately compelling M3 to admit responsibility for the kidnapping — a 52-year-old secret finally broken when the perpetrator revealed the full extent of the atrocities committed, directly to Mark.

Between 2021 and 2025, Mark’s unwavering resolve fuelled an exhaustive search and a relentless pursuit of answers. On the 20th of November 2021, between 10pm and 1am, a 52-year deadlock was finally shattered when Mark achieved what many believed impossible: securing a final admission from the Chaplin family, identifying the most likely burial site.

Mark remains resolute — he will not rest until Muriel is brought home, no matter the cost.

As a visionary investor and passionate water sports enthusiast, Mark was inspired to develop Stingblade after suffering multiple painful jellyfish stings during a swim in 2018. Driven by personal experience, he set out to create a solution that would redefine aquatic safety.

Mark’s speech for his involvement in helping to lead the Muriel McKay case won the 2025 Cicero Non-Political Speech Award.

Mark had a frightening experience in the Mediterranean, where jellyfish numbers have been rising sharply. While swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, he suffered more than twenty jellyfish stings in a single swim.

As Mark put it, “I had enough venom on my skin to kill me — but using the blade technique saved me. That’s when I realised everyone should have access to this.”

Continuing his family’s tradition of innovation, he went on to design and manufacture a dedicated solution in England, made using recycled fishing nets.

The product can be seen demonstrated on the Stingblade website and is also available on Amazon.

Muriel McKay, Mark’s grandmother, was the wife of Alick McKay, Deputy Chairman at News International (formerly The News of the World Organisation) and a close friend of Rupert Murdoch.

In 1969, Muriel became the victim of a tragic and highly publicised kidnapping after being mistakenly identified as Murdoch’s wife, Anna Murdoch.

The case became one of the most notorious in British criminal history. It was among the first major ransom kidnappings in the United Kingdom and led to one of the country’s earliest murder convictions secured without the recovery of a body.

Founded by Mark, Lombard Liquor Company began from a shared love of drinks among friends and a serendipitous moment — lounging on the sun-drenched aft deck of a yacht, raising a glass of what used to be their favourite beverage.

When they discovered that the original had been discontinued, they resolved to re-imagine it. The result: their signature spirit, Straight Six — a carefully crafted vodka-based beverage blending premium vodka with a secret mix of fruits, herbs and spices.

Straight Six isn’t just a drink. It’s a tribute to camaraderie, creativity and the joy of shared moments. Each bottle reflects a commitment to quality, innovation and bringing people together — offering a modern take on a timeless drink that’s perfect neat, over ice, with lemonade or in cocktails.