Welcome to EPIC: Martin Bland Q&A
Leading independent gambling harm minimisation consultancy, EPIC Risk Management has made another key appointment, welcoming Martin Bland as the organisation’s Director of Business Development.
Martin brings to EPIC a wealth of experience in the commercial and partnerships sector, having worked in the sports data and technology market for eighteen years. Martin will support EPIC’s growth and longer-term business strategy here in the UK, US and globally.
EPIC caught up with Martin to talk about his new role, and personal and professional background in a Q&A session:
EPIC: Congratulations on your new role at EPIC, Martin! Would you like to introduce yourself?
MB: Yes, thanks! I’m Martin Bland, EPIC’s new Business Development Director. I’m from a small town called Silsden in West Yorkshire on the border of the Yorkshire Dales, a beautiful part of the world. I live there with my wife and three children. I’m a very passionate sports fan, particularly football, of which I’m a huge Manchester United fan. Outside of sport, I would say I have a passion for travel. We, as a family, lived abroad for six years so we’ve also had that experience of living internationally.
EPIC: What’s your experience prior to this role and joining us at EPIC?
MB: My background prior to EPIC involved working eighteen years in the sports data and technology market. I worked predominantly across the commercial and partnerships sector within that industry, so my roles included Senior Sales Executive, Regional Director, and Partnerships Manager. All these roles included doing business internationally, so I’d say I have vast experience of working within companies that are experiencing rapid growth and expansion, especially in international markets. The roles I’ve had in previous companies involved introducing new pioneering technology and services to the market. This has always been a passion of mine, working with companies that are doing something different and trying to bring something new to market.
EPIC: What attracted you to working at EPIC?
MB: I would say that I went through a process, extending over the last 12 months, to rediscover my own purpose and uncover what I’m passionate about both on a personal level and certainly on a professional level. It kept coming back to two things. Firstly, wanting to work for an organisation who were genuinely trying to change the world and add value to its customer base, doing something different and pioneering, and secondly, trying to find an organisation who genuinely wanted to help people. I was lucky enough to find both at EPIC!
EPIC: How are you finding settling into the business?
MB: The people at EPIC make it very easy to settle in. It’s a great bunch of people. What I’ve found really interesting is that there’s a very consistent narrative people deliver when you speak to them. Everyone speaks around the real purpose, mission, and value of this business which is about helping people. That doesn’t come from a script. It comes from what is genuinely driving the people at EPIC. I’d say that settling into EPIC is a very easy process.
EPIC: What goals do you already know you want to achieve in this role?
MB: My immediate goals at EPIC are to start communicating to our existing and prospective client bases. I really want to be going out to the market, understanding from our existing client’s what value we’re bringing to them and how we’re changing their lives and making a positive impact. To speak to those is definitely an early goal of mine. My role here is about growth. Yes, organically the business will commercially grow but ultimately, the more companies we work with, the more people we interact with, the more people we help. So, that’s a massive goal of mine here at EPIC.
EPIC: Last but not least, what are you looking forward to most in your new role?
MB: I’m looking forward to talking to our existing client base, learning from them about the value we bring to their organisation and how we can add to that. One of the biggest things I’m looking forward to is working very closely with our lived experience colleagues. I think it’s amazing that we, as an organisation, are made up of people who are brave enough, inspired enough and committed enough to go out to the market and tell their story. I think it’s an incredible thing that they do! I think it creates an unbelievable level of genuineness about what we, as a business, are all about. It’s awe-inspiring, and I’m really looking forward to learning from them, learning about their stories, and how they’re positively impacting the world!
