Mario completed his training before moving on to join the team at Harrods Hair & Beauty Salon in 1989 as their youngest recruited stylist. Here, he met and worked with the future Mrs Ward, Hellen.

After a working sabbatical in Australia, Mario transferred to the Elizabeth Arden salon in Piccadilly before returning to work with Hellen at her and Richard’s inaugural salon in 1994, being promoted to Technical Director in 2001. A vital and integral part of the salon’s success, Mario trains, educates, mentors and manages the technical team as well as offering a comprehensive list of services to his huge and loyal clientele.

Uniquely, Mario is one of those rare creatives who’s expertise spans through both technical and styling. Due to his outstanding skill-set and unsurpassed level of expertise he is also a strong, outstanding stylist, giving him a well-rounded overview in both fields. This makes Mario your ideal all-round hairdresser for those looking for a cohesive experience.

Passionate about role, Mario is both forward thinking and motivated to lead the way in colour and technical innovations within the salon, introducing new and revolutionary services like organic colour, keratin infusion therapies and his own technique, Cento. With his unsurpassed knowledge and vast experience, Mario has been at the forefront of technical development for the company’s product portfolio and regularly works with Richard to present RW products to the consumer audience.

A well-respected industry specialist, Mario now educates and shares his knowledge through the courses he teaches at L’Oréal Academies nationwide and judges major technical competitions such as the L’Oréal UK and Irish Colour Trophy. His near encyclopaedic technical knowledge was evident when he received one of the highest pass marks in his L’Oréal Colour Degree and as his reputation suggests, he regularly works with L’Oréal on NPD for their brands (New Product Development) and is part of their prestigious Colour Collective Portfolio.

Renowned in the trade as one of the most respected colour technicians within the UK and internationally, Mario’s unsurpassed expertise ensures the RW technical team remain at the forefront of their craft.

Mario joined the Richard Ward team in 1995.

Every member of the Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa Team is fully qualified and extensively trained in every aspect of hair & technical services however Mario’s particular areas of expertise include:

• Speedy Precision – Mario excels at precise but speedy highlight application, if your wish is for minimum time spent in the technicians chair but still fabulous results on your crowing glory then Mario is your man.

• Cento – This original and unique colour technique was masterminded and developed by Mario himself and it is now something that he shares and educates on throughout the L’Oreal training academies. This is a bespoke and individualised colour service which in it’s simplest form is multi-dimensional, layer upon layer of colour radiance. This offers client’s a creative alternative to standard highlights, Ombre or Balayage services.

• Balayage & Ombré – Mario enjoys and excels in this creative form of technical application, working with each client to achieve their ultimate bespoke colour result from a subtle sun-kissed effect to something more bold, he can really let his colour imagination run free.

• Corrective Colour – With Mario’s unrivalled, encyclopedic (verging on nerdy!) bank of knowledge of all things colour/technical he is the obvious choice for anyone in need of a colour correction or conversion. With a forthright approach, he will clearly manage expectations of what is achievable without ever compromising the condition of the client’s hair, rectifying even the most serious of hair disasters.

• Perming, Forme & Body Waves – Mario really enjoys this (increasingly rarely practised) form of technical work and has had outstanding results on all different hair lengths and finishes. Whether you are looking for something to give volume and structure or to simply add the most natural of beach waves, Mario is our most senior and experienced go to technician to get the right advice.

Every member of the Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa Team is fully qualified and extensively trained in every aspect of hair & technical services however Mario’s particular areas of expertise include:

• Long Hair – Mario’s expertise in cutting and styling also makes him one of our salon experts with long, aged hair and he has created his Long Hair Clinic within the salon designed to help long-haired clients who want to keep their length with upkeep and deal with split ends, intense conditioning and styling.

• Texture & Density – Mario’s technical expertise makes him your go-to man when it comes to diagnosing and dealing with challenging hair – whether it’s fine, sparse or abundant in density or fine, normal or coarse in texture, he has the expertise to get to the root of the problem and get it to behave!

• Wig Customisation/Hair Loss – Mario has extensive experience when dealing with client’s with medical hair loss, he has become somewhat of an authority on where good quality wigs and hair pieces are available, he will also then take responsibility for cutting and colouring any wigs to meet with the client’s expectations. In this situation, his chair side manner and knowledge has proved invaluable in what can often be the most trying of situations for any client to face up to and work through.

• Cutting & Styling with Colour Placement – Mario’s unique understanding of how colour must be tailored to work with the cut means he can really embrace this side of the creative process. An outstanding scissor man, whether your desired look is more classic or contemporary, on longer hair or short, Mario’s cutting advice and skills keep him at the top end of his game.

• Memory Forme – Mario’s talents in both cutting and colour mean he is uniquely able to identify where texture needs to be adapted to make a hair cut or style work. This keratin infused treatment re-boot’s upon heat activation to tame and de-frizz. His encyclopedic product knowledge means he can prescribe the perfect smoothing service for your texture and density.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9am to 6pm – occasional Saturdays

English, Greek

As with all Directors, clients booking with Mario receive a complimentary L’Oreal Fusio-Dose treatment (worth £15) plus double points on their next visit, should they book an appointment prior to leaving and within an 8-week time frame.