Carol Shanahan, Chair of both organisations, said, ‘whilst the timing of Martin’s availability is somewhat serendipitous, it was immediately apparent to us how Martin could more than fulfil the roles we had in mind. His leadership of the Sentinel, broad capabilities of running a complex organisation with highly demanding workloads, whilst steering the business to be one of the most successful regional papers, are just a small snippet of the capabilities Martin will bring to our organisations’.
Carol continued to say that ‘whilst we have seen great successes collectively, we are eager to do more. It’s been a critical time for the global economy at a macro level, and for our friends and family at a personal level, but we will emerge stronger, and are headed for great places. Martin will be a key part of this journey. We are absolutely delighted to announce that Martin will be joining us on Tuesday August 4th, and we are sure he will receive a warm welcome when he starts next Tuesday.’
The bringing together of the leadership teams of Synectics, Port Vale, Port Vale Foundation Trust and the Hubb Foundation has been instrumental in the delivery of over 120,000 meals to 34,000 people in need across the city, whilst also running the 4 organisations without compromise. This experience has demonstrated the benefits of working in a more connected way and Martin’s role will continue to reinforce this approach.
Martin said: “I am absolutely delighted to join the team at Port Vale FC and Synectics. I’ll be working with people I admire hugely and for the club I love. Crucially, the role will enable me to work across the group and continue to help champion our city and make a positive contribution to local communities every single day."