Marks (born November 18, 1953) is a South African-born American business executive who founded the eponymous fashion brand.

Her father, Alec Bank, had immigrated from Lithuania as a child; he was an affluent property developer and a leader in the Jewish community.

[11] On November 14, 2018, President Donald Trump nominated Marks to be the United States Ambassador to South Africa.

[13] She was sworn into office on October 4, 2019,[14] and arrived at her posting on November 9, 2019, and presented her diplomatic credentials to President Cyril Ramaphosa on January 28, 2020.

[1] In September 2020, anonymous U.S. intelligence sources claimed that Iran was planning an assassination attempt on Marks in South Africa.

[20] In March 2020, Marks refused to quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19 at an event at Mar-a-Lago, President Trump’s club in Florida.

[22] As a Trump political appointee ambassador, she resigned from the office following the inauguration of President Joe Biden on 20 January 2021 and was succeeded by John Groarke as Charge d'Affaires ad interim.