Swansea University has awarded an honorary degree to successful Welsh entrepreneur Chris Martin.
The award was presented to Mr Martin today (18 December 2018) by Swansea University at the University’s degree ceremony for the School of Management.
Born in Pembrokeshire, Chris Martin started his early career with Boots the Chemist but soon realised he wanted to run his own business. He went on to build two successful independent community pharmacy businesses, one in the West Country and the second in Pembrokeshire with his wife Amanda.
He has had extensive experience in the public sector having been Chairman of four separate health organisations in west Wales over a 15-year period. When he retired in June 2014, he was Chairman of Hywel Dda University Health Board, the Welsh NHS Confederation and the co-ordinating Chairman of all health organisations in Wales. This is when he started a long and fruitful collaboration with Swansea University, championing the Medical School and more recently supporting the development of a new School of Pharmacy in Swansea.
He is a member of Swansea University’s School of Management Advisory Board and Deputy Chairman of the Bevan Commission, an internationally renowned think tank hosted by the University’s School of Management and a key driver of the Bevan Commission Academy that is championing transformational change across the NHS in Wales.
As Chairman of the Milford Haven Port Authority, the largest energy port in the UK, he has supported the £1.3b Swansea Bay City Deal and in particular the £78m Pembroke Dock Marine, the flagship project in Pembrokeshire.
He is Managing Director of his own property development company, non-executive advisor at Alliance Healthcare, the largest pharmaceutical wholesaler in the UK, and Chairman and Non-Executive Director of the Economy, Skills and Natural Resources Audit and Risk Committee in Welsh Government.
He has several voluntary and charitable roles and is very proud to be a Trustee and Director of Marie Curie UK, a Governor of Pembrokeshire College and Chairman of the Wales Advisory Board for Marie Curie.
He was awarded a fellowship by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in 2006 for outstanding contribution to the practice of community pharmacy.
On receiving his award, Chris Martin said: “I am delighted and feel immensely proud to receive this prestigious recognition from one of the UK’s foremost educational institutions. It continues to be a pleasure and a privilege to work alongside professional colleagues in Swansea University and in particular the great team in the School of Management. I am thrilled to receive this honorary degree and will cherish this day for many years to come.”