Getting to know… Martin Spiller

In the latest instalment of Bdaily’s Getting to know… feature, which looks at the person behind the business profile, Bradford-born Martin Spiller, entrepreneur, investor and associate professor in entrepreneurial practice at Oxford Brookes Business School, talks about his lifelong curiosity for how businesses work, the satisfaction he takes from watching founders and students grow, and the hard-won lessons behind three decades of building, backing and exiting businesses.

We know you as an adviser, investor and academic, but who is the person behind the title? Tell us a little about what makes you tick…

I love business.

I’m insatiably curious, quite restless and love understanding how things work, so getting to spend my time exploring different companies and the people behind them suits me perfectly and keeps me interested and learning.

As an associate professor in entrepreneurial practice at Oxford Brookes Business School, I get to bring that curiosity and experience into the classroom, work with some really cool companies and be part of amazing teams at great places of learning.

After all my many roles and positions, I feel like I have found my dream job.

Did you always want to work in business?

From my A-levels, I did.

My teacher Mr Greenwood lit a fire in me and I wanted to own my own business and be an entrepreneur.

That led me to an Arthur Andersen scholarship through university, and I have Sally Bucknell to thank for giving me that chance.

I trained as a chartered accountant and cut my teeth in corporate recovery and corporate finance advisory, working on transactions including the sale of G Costa, the business behind Blue Dragon sauces, to Associated British Foods, and the sale of Roadchef to Nikko Securities.

I chose to rejoin Andersen after graduation, rather than try investment banking, because I knew I wanted to build my own business, not just advise on them.

I co-founded giftware business Only 4 U, grew it to £15 million revenue and over £2 million operating profit, and eventually achieved a ten-times return on exit.

Since then, I've started four or five businesses, bought two or three, and helped a great many more as an adviser, investor and lecturer.

What’s the best bit about your job? And the worst?

I love designing and developing a talk or a programme and leading a group through it, sharing knowledge and being open about my own mistakes.

Watching people reflect and develop, even over a short session, is amazing.

During my time in academia, the executive education programmes I have designed or taught have reached more than 750 companies. It’s the individual moments within all of that, seeing the progress of participants and being involved in even the smallest way, that I find addictive.

The worst bit? I still struggle with the administration and the slightly more sedate pace at which things move in university life compared to in business.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

I think getting through my accountancy exams is probably up there as I didn't actually want to be an accountant.

It took a lot of will, quite a lot of sage advice from those around me and some real focus to get through them.

Although I’m loath to admit it, those people who advised me to do it were right.

I’m very glad I listened, even if I wasn’t terribly keen on the advice at the time, and I will never love tax, no matter who tries to convince me it’s interesting.

How do you relax outside of work?

I love going to my gym and working with the trainers.

Whether they would describe our time together quite so enthusiastically is probably a question best left unasked, given I tend to grumble a lot when I am there.

I love all sport, especially football, rugby and cricket, so watch quite a bit of that live and on TV.

I am also a passionate reader of books, currently 42 and counting in 2026!

Most of all, though, I love looking after my 13-year-old rescue Labrador Fernando.

I was lucky enough to have him come into my life seven years ago and we have had great fun together doing everything from board meetings to long walks, although his hips are a bit sore now, so we do less mileage.

What makes London such a great place to live and work?

I've lived in London since I came for university, so it’s been home for more than 30 years.

I love the pace, the mix of people, cultures and the fact there is always lots to do.

And as a northern lad who likes his food, having that mix of restaurants and cuisines at your disposal is rather wonderful.

As for working, London has its advantages, but it isn’t a cheap or easy place to work, and it won't suit everyone.

My core role at the moment is at Oxford Brookes, so I'm a fairly good example of loving living in London while finding the right job elsewhere.

Tell us something about you we didn't know…

My favourite qualifications are my forklift truck licences.

It’s all very well being able to discuss the numbers, the legal implications and the theory, but sometimes you just need someone to move a pallet.

And it’s good to have a potential fall-back role in case artificial intelligence does eventually take my job.

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