[3] At age 5, his parents moved to Christianburg, Linden where his father was a mason who worked in the bauxite industry, at the time DEMBA.

[3] He was first employed as an acting teacher at the Linden Foundation School then as a Laboratory Analyst with the Bauxite and Alumina Labs of GUYMINE in 1980.

Thereafter, he held appointments at the tactical and operational levels of the Guyana Defence Force and retired as a brigadier and chief of staff in October 2016, having served for over 36 years.

During his time in the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Phillips earned a Master of Science degree in Public Management from the La Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra in the Dominican Republic and by extension is proficient in Spanish.

Immediately following his retirement in October 2018, Brigadier Phillips was inducted into the International Hall of Fame of the CGSC, Kansas, USA.

Brigadier Mark Phillips was chosen as the running mate of People' Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Presidential Candidate Dr. Irfaan Ali in the 2020 Elections.

Dr. Ali in his first official act as president appointed Brigadier Mark Phillips as the 9th prime minister of Guyana on the same day.