Business: Rivet & Ray Dentist Care
Concord Alumni: Mark Ray (1989-1991)
Job Title: Owner and Executive Director
Service: Dental Services
Countries Served: UK covering the North - Lancashire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire


Mark owns and still works part-time in a surgery in Bolton, which he bought after his postgrad training year. Since 2008 he has worked with a business partner to build up a further 11 practices, mainly around the North West of England, but also in Bradford and Douglas (Isle of Man).  He is very interested in education and training, and is responsible for a group of 13 new graduates each year, ensuring that their induction into practice goes smoothly. He is also doing a PhD around this important transition in professional development.

Mark Ray, graduated from Birmingham in 1997 with Honours and Clinical Distinction. He also graduated with a BSc (intercalated honours) in Pharmacology.

After a year working in a busy Maxillofacial Unit, he completed Vocational Training, and went on to buy Highfield Dental Practice Ltd. in Bolton. He has taken the practice from 3 to 7 surgeries, and it now has 2 Dental Foundation Practitioners.

He taught Oral Surgery at Manchester Dental Hospital for 3 years, before becoming the Dental Practice Advisor for Bolton. He has a MFGDP(UK) and Postgraduate Certificates in Dental Practice Appraisal and Healthcare Learning.

Due to his passion for training, he went on to become a Dental Foundation Training Educational Supervisor for 5 years, before being asked to set up a second year foundation programme, as a Dental Foundation Training Programme Director. After this success, the next year he set up the new Blackburn Dental Foundation Training Scheme, which he still runs to date.

He has a passion for minor oral surgery in practice, and is responsible for a Tier 2 Service in Highfield. He has completed a year course in Advanced Restorative Dentistry and a years’ Multisystem dental implant course, and has placed well over 500 implants.

In 2007 Mark and Irfan Ravat became partners, forming Ravat & Ray Dental Care, and opened their first practice together. They felt the best way to develop their passion for high quality dentistry for patients was to provide exceptional environments, and to recruit outstanding staff, always facilitating their training and development.

Mark’s time is now spent between running the ten practices in the group with Irfan, providing particular support for our five training practices within the organisation. He continues to work clinically at Highfield, and is currently completing a part-time PhD in Dental Education at UCLan.

As an advocate of increasing standards in dentistry by training and maintaining standards, he was also appointed to the General Dental Council’s Fitness to Practice Panel for 10 years in 2010.

Mark is an avid cyclist and keen scuba diver. In his spare time he loves to spend time with his family and going on holiday. He told us "I have been married to Anna since 1998, and have been blessed with 2 great boys, Chris and Ben.  I know I must be getting old, because Chris has just learned to drive and had his UCAS offers in, and Ben is doing GCSEs in summer!  Both boys are currently playing waterpolo at Great Britain level, so all my weekends are currently very busy watching them play with the proud dad face on!"

Over the past few years Mark has undertaken an annual cycling challenge for many worthwhile causes. Previous challenges have included cycling to all 10 practices in one day (142 miles) to raise money for Bridge2aid; completing Coast to Coast in a day (145 miles) for the British Heart Foundation; as well as completing the cycle element of the Ironman loop three times in a day, this massive total of 150 miles was in aid of the AS-SUFFA Institute Homeless Outreach Project in Bolton.