Martin Harry Port is an award-winning English entrepreneur, based in West Yorkshire in the North of England. He is best known as the Founder and Chief Executive of BigChange, the Leeds-based technology start-up. He is also the Founder and former Managing Director of Masternaut UK Ltd. Martin started BigChange in 2012, aged 50. The company has developed technology solutions that improve how businesses manage and monitor their mobile workforces.
Early life
Martin Port was born into an Anglo-Jewish family in Leeds, West Yorkshire, North of England. He attended Moortown County Primary School and later attended Allerton Grange High School. Martin received a crash course in sales from his father, who ran a market stall in Leeds, when he was just 11 years old. Port Senior created an auction business, which he took around the country. During the final 20 minutes of each auction, Martin would take the gavel and try and sell a few lots. Martin credits this experience for helping him to build three successful businesses.
Career
At the age of 14, Martin had a Saturday job at Cecil Gee department store in their menswear department. At the age of 15, Martin started a small printing business with his friend, producing business cards for local companies around Leeds. In 1986, 24-year-old Martin Port moved to New York City in the United States to help a friend who had founded a German bakery business. They sold bread to hotels and restaurants and eventually opened a pretzel store on 42nd Street near the Port Authority bus terminal. Martin returned to the UK three years later and started his first business: Kroustie European Bread. Kroustie had 4 small retail outlets in Leeds, Bradford and Harrogate also sold bread to retailers and wholesalers. This was founded with the support of a government enterprise allowance. Martin founded the Masternaut UK business with hardware bought from French firm, Masternaut France, and began developing software from an operational centre in Leeds, UK. Masternaut UK was one of the first UK companies to offer software-as-a-service, with its web-based vehicle tracking solutions. Port was the majority shareholder in Masternaut UK Ltd from its inception in 1998 until 2009, when he sold the business to Hub Telecom, a subsidiary of Europe’s second largest Airport group, Aeroports De Paris . Martin founded BigChange in October 2011 as a distributor of mobile computers across Europe, and later developed the applications side of the business. Its Jobwatch software, which is now the primary focus of the business, helps customers – mostly tradespeople – to go paperless, improve customer service and quality, business productivity and manage driver and vehicle risk management. In 2019, BigChange acquired two businesses: Labyrinth Logistics Consulting, an award-winning supply chain and logistics consultancy based in Royal Leamington Spa; and Trace Systems, an established provider of fleet, garage and workshop management software. Martin is the Entrepreneur in residence at not-for-profit business membership group Connect Yorkshire. He is also a member of the Yorkshire and Humber Advisory Board of Business in the Community and an ambassador for Transaid, the international development charity.
Awards
As the UK Managing Director, Martin took Masternaut UK from a small startup in 2002 to become one of the UK’s fastest growing businesses, with places in Sunday Times Tech Track 100 in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Martin’s entrepreneurial endeavours were recognised in 2008 when he won the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Technology and Communications, and in 2010, with an IoD Director of the Year Award as a Runner up "Highly Commended" in the Small and Medium Size Enterprise category. His company also attained a 2009 place in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA. Martin Port made headlines in 2009 having been chosen as one of Dell's 'Heroes' on their Take Your Own Path global campaign, which shun the light on extraordinary entrepreneurs. Martin’s current venture, BigChange, has been recognised for its extraordinary growth rate, landing a place in Sunday Times Tech Track 100 in 2018, the Sunday Times Hiscox Tech Track 100 in 2019, and the Deloitte Fast 50 in 2017 and 2018. Martin won the Yorkshire Post’s award for Excellence in Business in 2017 and 2018. The business was recognised in the Northern Tech Awards for two years running - picking up the Northern Tech Awards’ overall award for best company. In 2018, BigChange was named one of the best UK Startups Outside London by LinkedIn. In 2019, Martin was also named as one of the UK’s 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders, an awards programme created by private equity specialist LDC and The Telegraph. BigChange won a Queen's Awards for Enterprise in 2020. These are the UK’s highest official awards for British businesses.
Personal life
Martin Port is married to Amanda Port, who also works at BigChange as Marketing Director. They have four children, Ben, Leah, Joseph and Joshua. Martin is an orthodox practising Jew, and serves as the Vice President of social and cultural activities at Beth Hamidrash Hagadol Synagogue in Leeds. Port has defied the odds to find success. He has 70% hearing loss and is dyslexic. Martin cites his work ethic as a major contributor to his success – he works six days a week but always keeps the Sabbath. Since 2002, Martin has been supporting various charitable endeavours, through donations, sponsorship and company schemes. At Masternaut, Martin’s "Cash for Quitters" initiative helped nine people to quit smoking while raising £11,250 for Cancer Research. In 2018, BigChange committed to support Transaid, a charity which aims to transform lives through transport. BigChange donated £250,000 to worthy causes in 2019.
