Financial adviser Martin has been part of a winning team for 20 years
FINANCE
WORDS : DAVE ROBSON PICTURE : CHRIS BOOTH
Home fixture – Martin Cockerill at Bob Little & Co ’ s HQ in Prospect House , Redcar .
DREAM
TEAM
Financial adviser Martin has been part of a winning team for 20 years
Teamwork has played a major part in the life and career of financial adviser Martin Cockerill .
During his 20s and 30s , he played semiprofessional football abroad before moving back to Teesside , where he established himself in the Northern League as a central midfielder for Stockton and Thornaby .
But professionally , for the past 20 years , Martin ’ s main aim has been to help clients of Redcar-based chartered financial planner Bob Little & Co reach their financial goals .
And as we speak in his homely office , it ’ s clear that another team is most important to him , with photos of wife Lindsey , daughter Olivia , 14 , two-year-old Louie – “ our little lockdown miracle ” – and labrador Beau a constant reminder of his cherished home life .
At work , however , he ’ s recently clocked up 20 years ’ service with Bob Little & Co – and he ’ s not alone . Administrators Nicola Wright , her sister Lisa Stacey and Angela Mackenzie have all passed two decades of service with the firm – and there ’ s nobody with fewer than 10 years .
Martin told Tees Business : “ We ’ ve got a really strong team here . Bob ( the late company founder , Bob Little ) had a very clear ethic and ethos we all believed in , putting the client first , and it ’ s the same today . It ’ s very difficult to work for a company if you don ’ t believe in what it stands for .
“ I liken myself a little bit to being front of house at a restaurant – I see the clients but there ’ s an awful lot more going on behind the scenes .”
Middlesbrough born and bred , Martin , 54 , was a talented teenage runner and was even accepted by the Metropolitan Police before opting for his football adventure . Back in the UK , he spent time as an auditor before getting a traineeship with Britannic Assurance . In 2004 , however , Bob Little – who knew Martin ’ s dad through involvement with Grangetown Boys Club – lured him across to work for him and , 20 years later , he ’ s still there , only with Bob ’ s son Robert now at the helm .
The close-knit team comprises independent financial advisers Martin , Robert and Chris Donnelly , along with mortgage / protection adviser Matthew Grayson and the admin staff .
As a chartered financial planner , Martin provides a wide range of services , including investment management , tax and estate planning and retirement planning – “ I ’ ve helped retire many people a lot earlier than they expected ,” he said with pride .
And he says the industry ’ s approach to giving financial advice has changed immensely over the years , even if the common-sense fundamentals remain the same .
He said : “ Years ago , some financial advisers just turned up and almost barked at people – they said , ‘ This is what you ’ re going to do ’. Thankfully , it ’ s different now – it ’ s about making financial advice personable . Everyone has a goal but it ’ s about setting achievable goals .
“ People who come here see the same face each year – and that ’ s important . If you ’ re seeing a different adviser every time , it ‘ s difficult to build up trust because there ’ s no continuity .”
Highly knowledgeable , Martin has two top-class qualifications from two professional bodies – the Chartered Insurance Institute and the London Institute of Banking and Finance .
He also extols the virtues of “ holistic ” financial planning , saying : “ I believe a massive part of financial advice is understanding how people tick , what their goals are and what their worries are . You ’ ve got to be a good listener .”
A finalist in this year ’ s Tees Business Awards Unsung Hero category , Martin , however , is keen to stress he ’ s part of a team – just like in his football playing days .
He said : “ When I played football , I didn ’ t leave anything out on the pitch . I was always 100 per cent and , hopefully , that has come through in my financial career .
“ One of the first things I say to people is , ‘ I want to put you in a better position than the day I met you ’. If I do that , I ’ ll have achieved something .”
The voice of business in the Tees region | 107