10 | Tees Business
Serving the Teesside Business Community | 11
RISK ISN’T A SCARY THING,
RISK EQUALS OPPORTUNITY.
TEES
UP!
NAME: MARTIN GILBEY
AGE: 34
BORN: STOCKTON
LIVES: INGLEBY BARWICK
ORGANISATION: MIDAS
JOB TITLE: MANAGING DIRECTOR
When I was at school, I wanted to be…a
PE teacher. I loved sport at school and it was
the only thing I was good at! So I went on to
do Sports Science at college.
The best business decision I ever made
was…joining Midas and later investing in
it. I started at Midas in business admin,
then quickly became part of the team. It
was a fledgling business at the time so it
wasn’t a money decision but it was a huge
opportunity and was catalyst to everything
that’s happened since. If I hadn’t joined
Midas, I could have been doing a 9-5 job,
maybe in the Police as I was studying
Criminology and Law at Teesside University
at the time.
The worst business decision I ever made
was...trying to implement a computer
system four or five years ago, before the
company was ready for it. The infrastructure
wasn’t there so we had to postpone it. It
wasted time and money so it was a hard
learning curve. In terms of tough decisions,
having to make cuts during the recession
of 2008-09 was hard. I sat there looking at
our books with a piece of paper in my hand,
knowing people had to go and having to
make the right decision.
The best part of my job is…building
relationships with staff, customers,
stakeholders, partners, and with Teesside
generally. I love hearing what other people
are doing and understanding how one thing
affects everything else. I often look back and
think about the fact that if I hadn’t had that
conversation then that opportunity wouldn’t
have presented itself.
The biggest downside of my working
life is…uncertainty. I like to have things as
certain as I can because I’m a bit of a control
freak. Looking at the markets and people in
general makes me feel like I’m not in control,
and that gives me a feeling of pressure. I
handle pressure pretty well generally but I do
worry about the thing that hasn’t happened
yet.
If I could change one thing to help my
organisation it would be…industry
standards to be higher as a norm. I genuinely
feel that Midas is pushing quality and safety
levels but it would be better for our industry
and economy – and it would save lives - if
some of the bigger players in our industry
ignored the obvious bottom line and thought
about the bigger picture and safety as a
culture. Forcing that through across Teesside
is going to take us a lot of time.
Four words to describe me are…dedicated,
passionate, honest and…the most polite way
I can put it is different.
My business mantra is…great people
equals great business. Business can be a
product or a service and can be other people
with the same product and service but the
key difference is the people within it. If
you get the wrong people in your business
then you’re doomed to fail. Getting the right
people means it becomes so much easier.
Midas has that in spades, it’s what our
whole business is based on. We recruit great
people, not necessarily people experienced
in this industry.
My greatest achievement was…getting my
MBA – Master in Business Administration at Teesside University. At 25, I was officially
too young to go on the course but I forced
my way on. It was a huge challenge because
I was never very academic but I was hugely
passionate about it. To get through it was
very rewarding.
The advice I’d give to business start-ups
is…don’t be adverse to risk. Risk isn’t a scary
thing, risk equals opportunity. Also be the
hardest working person in the room and ask
for advice.
The biggest character on the Tees
business scene is…Steve Gibson. He’s our
neighbour, as Midas is right next to Bulkhaul,
but who is there better to look up to? Having
been a Boro fan all my life, he has always
been part of my consciousness. He’s always
been a bit of a role model, but when you
realise what his background is and what he’s
achieved then he’s got to be an inspiration to
anyone on Teesside. He has created so much
wealth - and he backs the Boro!
The individual who is my tip for the top
among Tees businesses is…probably James
Dale of Anderson Barrowcliff. He is the
youngest partner they’ve ever had. He has
drive, ambition, intelligence and he breeds
confidence. He wants other businesses to
succeed and I’m certain he will be influential
on other Teesside businesses. But I’d also
mention the many 30-somethings who are
committed to Teesside – people like Cathal
Doocey at CPD Bodies, Lee Bramley at the
Endeavour Partnership, Karl Pemberton at
Active Financial and Paul Davison at Erimus
Insurance Brokers.
Teesside’s a great place for business
because…of its people and Teesside
University. The culture that those two create
within the business fraternity will be the
catalyst to success. We create in Teesside
people who can adapt to different scenarios,
knuckle down and crack on.
My biggest frustration about Teesside
is…the people who get hung up with the
negatives. The mentality of “This is how it’s
always been. There are no opportunities. We
can’t get a job.” There’s a big gulf between
the doers and those who won’t.
My favourite local charity is…Daisy Chain
– the people there do an amazing job for a
charity that’s slightly under the radar, but they
do it with care and compassion. When I visit,
everyone always has a smile on their face.
When I’m not working, I like to spend my
time…doing whatever as long as I’m having
laughs with my family and friends. I also love
a wide range of music, sometimes to destress I like to listen to a bit of heavy metal
very loud!
The best holiday I ever had was…my
honeymoon. We just jumped in a car to the
South of France and went on a bit of an
unplanned tour. There was a real sense of
freedom. I want to do it again – but not the
honeymoon!
Not many people know this about me
but…I tried to row the Atlantic. It was in
about 2005, and me and my father-in-law
were inspired by four Teesside guys who’d
already done something similar but our plan
was to become the first people to cross
the Atlantic from Canada to England. We
had the bo at and sponsors in place but it
was an inescapable fact that we would face
life-threatening situations. Eventually, the
pressure on the family became too much.
In retirement, I’ll spend my time…travelling
and helping other businesses. I’d like to see
a bit of the world but hopefully I’ll have some
nuggets of wisdom to pass on to future
business leaders.