Martin Newman

About

Martin Newman

Martin is one of the world’s leading authorities on customer centricity, and a force for positive change for consumers and brands.

With his finger on the pulse of consumer behaviour, wants and needs he is a leading authority on customer experience and customer centricity. Helping consumer facing businesses and brands to future proof their businesses by putting the customer at the heart of all they do. Championing consumers, brands and businesses.

As well as fighting for consumer rights Martin is an advocate for diversity, social responsibility and employee engagement for all consumer facing sectors. These issues top the agenda in his media appearances across national press and television.

He appears regularly on BBC TV and Radio, on Sky, ITV, Channel 5 and a host of other media channels such as LBC, The Times and FT to discuss consumer issues relating to the retail, travel, casual dining, automotive and financial services sectors.

Martin has worked for 40 years leading the multichannel operations for some of the world’s most recognisable retail brands. These include Burberry, Intersport, Pentland Brands (Speedo, Berghaus), Harrods and Ted Baker. His bestselling book 100 Practical Ways to Improve Customer Experience, is seen as definitive within the sector and was shortlisted for the Business Book of the Year Award 2019.

Following his career in the consumer sector, Martin founded global ecommerce and digital consultancy Practicology, which was sold in 2018 after having scaled up to a global staff of 100 in offices across the UK, EU, Middle East and Asia. Martin has since set up The Customer First Group and new consumer facing website Customer Service Action.

Martin delivers keynote presentations and chairs many leading industry events around the World. He has shared stages with innovators and entrepreneurs alike, including Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, to discuss the future of the internet and its implications for retailers.

Amongst Martin’s many accolades, he has featured in various industry leader lists including Retail Week’s top 50 eTail Power List five years in a row. He has also been named consecutively in the Retail Insiders top 100 Retail Movers & Shakers list, as well as the British Vogue Online Fashion 100.

Martin judges numerous industry awards such as the World Retail Awards, the Customer Experience Awards, the Retail Insider Awards, the PayPal eTail Awards, the Online Retail Awards of Australia and the Great British Entrepreneur awards.

Martin’s counsel also encompasses roles as Non-Executive Chairman of Scout Store, and Board Advisor working with the Boards of consumer-facing businesses on their key strategic questions and challenges. He is also a board advisor to Clearpay, the Mayborn Group and is a Trustee of In Kind Direct and a member of the prestigious KPMG IPSOS Retail Think Tank.

Martin is the author of the bestselling books The Power of Customer Experience and 100 Practical Ways to Improve Customer Experience, seen as definitive within the sector and was shortlisted for the Business Book of the Year Award 2019.

Martin also runs his own Mini MBA in Customer Centricity in partnership with Oxford College of Leadership and Management and Oxford College of Marketing.