Martin is the Chief Executive of the Institute of Imagination - the leading education charity focused on growing the creative thinking skills for children from underserved and under-represented communities. They work with parents, teachers, youth and community leaders designing and delivering workshops and activities across Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Maths (S.T.E.A.M.). These experiences empower children to reimagine their future, help raise their aspirations and break the cycle of poverty.

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As an experienced leader, NED and Trustee he previously worked for Amantani (international education), Global Media’s Make Some Noise (grant giving), Recovery Focus (health), Future-Fit Foundation (environmental sustainability) and Ashoka (social leadership). Today he sits on the Boards of Big Issue Invest (social finance) and Como No! (arts and concerts).

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He is a best-selling author, an experienced mentor and coach and the founder of the OKAL Forum (Openness, Kindness and Learning) which is a peer to peer support group for charity CEOs. Has won a number of awards in innovation and entrepreneurship and is a speaker on leadership, fundraising, creativity, technology, sustainability and entrepreneurship. For the first 20 years of his career, he worked for music and technology companies leading teams for Apple, Disney and EMI before becoming a social entrepreneur. He founded and scaled the award-winning social enterprise Ceviche and Andina hospitality and arts group.

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To his work, Martin brings his own lived experience as a migrant child with indigenous ancestry fleeing violence and experiencing racism and inequality both in and out of the education system in Britain and Latin America. In his late teens he was a Youth Leader in a Leicestershire coal mining town and a Teaching Assistant in one of Mexico City’s most deprived communities. These experiences have driven his work in charity leadership, education inequalities, social justice and the creative industries. “Play is a child’s human right and should be central to all of our lives, activities and ways of being. It is essential for creativity, innovation and health, can save lives and improve communities’.

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